Too many avoidable errors in patient care, says report

Public Release: 7-Mar-2016
Too many avoidable errors in patient care, says report
Avoidable harm to patients is still too high in healthcare in the UK and across the globe -- making safety a top healthcare priority for providers and policy makers alike
Imperial College London

Avoidable harm to patients is still too high in healthcare in the UK and across the globe -- making safety a top healthcare priority for providers and policy makers alike.

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In particular, the report reiterates problems around under-reporting of safety incidents, and reveals structural concerns within the NRLS, that have inhibited its usefulness as a tool to drive safety improvement.

Erik Mayer, lead author of the report, from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial, explains: "The UK has one of the biggest incident reporting systems in the world. But despite this, evidence suggests that as little as 5 per cent of patient safety incidents are reported. This is often related to the culture of institutions and the culture of medicine. For instance, staff may witness an incident that should be reported, but are hesitant to do so for fear of repercussions."

Furthermore, the information produced by the system is difficult to analyse, making it hard to spot dangerous trends or problems.

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