‘An embarrassment to the health-care system’: Nurses reveal issues they see on the job – CTV
Oct. 19, 2023
New data shows that errors are growing in Canadian hospitals, as one in 17 hospitalizations from March 2022 to March 2023 involved a patient experiencing harm, according to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
That is an estimated 145,000 Canadians who went in for treatment and may have ended up with an infection, pneumonia, medication error or bedsore.
“This is the third year in a row that we have seen an increase in the wrong direction,” Kate Parson of the CIHI told CTV News.
“The numbers may be surprising to some folks. But ultimately, we want to get this information out there in order to drive change.”
Compared to the previous year, the report says there was a 20 per cent increase in hospital-acquired urinary tract infections, and a 25 per cent increase in aspiration pneumonia, where patients inhale fluids or food leading to lung problems. In addition, the report found a 50 per cent increase in pressure ulcers or bedsores, a rise that may also be linked in part to better data keeping.
