Patients in hospitals worldwide continue to face unnecessary risks and in fact, as reported in a recent New England Journal of Medicine study, 1 in 4 patients will experience an avoidable, harmful event. Despite efforts by some to reduce error and harm to patients, risk is still facing anyone being hospitalized in 2023. Why is this still happening? Obviously Covid changed the face of hospitals, as staff were stressed and administrators looked for ways to save dollars. Consolidation, financial realities and provider shortages have forced difficult changes that can have negative results on patient safety. Doctors and nurses – who are in the business of protecting patient health – can unite to promote the best interest of patients, but without engagement and caregivers offering real change, no “checklist” will eliminate the dangers to patients illuminated in the recent NEJM study. At ORDx+Rx , we understand that hospitals and healthcare providers want to do better and want to keep patients safe, and we are in the business of helping them do just that – in a way that is cost and time-efficient, and most importantly, effective.
Gerald B. Healy, MD FACS
Past President, American College of Surgeons