Canada scores low in patient safety
CBC News
Canada fares well compared with other OECD countries for low smoking rates, but has some of the worst patient safety incidents such as leaving in foreign bodies during surgery, according to a new report.
Wednesday's report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information is called "Learning From the Best: Benchmarking Canada's Health System," and looks at the latest statistics and indicators comparing health systems on quality of care and access to care.
Canada reported some of the highest rates among 17 reporting countries of accidental puncture or laceration, as well as of foreign bodies left in during surgical procedures. It also had among the highest rates of obstetrical trauma.
"I think that's something that definitely warrants more investigation," said Kathleen Morris, director of health system analysis and emerging issues at CIHI. "Is it that we're more honest about reporting that data? Or are our rates really higher? What can we learn about what's done in other countries?"
To read the full article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/11/23/health-oecd-patient-safety.html





