'An embarrassment to the health-care system': Nurses reveal issues they see on the job
CTV
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..
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.
The report for the first time provided data showing that hospitals relied heavily on overtime and agency staff to provide patient care, with the measured harms linked closely to staffing levels.
There was a 17 per cent increase in sick time from nurses that removed the equivalent of 6,500 nurses from the health-care system, and approximately 14 million hours of overtime clocked by nurses in 2022-23 --- a 50 per cent increase over the data from 2021-22.
