How to bounce back after COVID-19’s safety culture declines

Data reveals insights for getting back on track

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in healthcare around the world, leading to a decline in safety scores in 2020 across the healthcare industry.

Before COVID-19, the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) and safety scores were heading in the right direction but the sudden onset of the pandemic forced healthcare organisations to pivot, redirecting their efforts toward defeating the virus. As a result, the industry saw tremendous gains relative to COVID-19 safety, however, overall safety culture and nurse-sensitive outcomes suffered as a result.

Press Ganey analysed safety outcomes during COVID-19 (post-March 2020 onwards) and compared them to pre-COVID-19 (pre-March 2020) numbers. The data validates the anecdotal evidence healthcare leaders were reporting during the pandemic; that the stresses of COVID-19 increased routine safety issues – like medication errors, falls and CLABSIs.

The white paper examines:

• understanding and preventing drift (a gradual shift in safety attitude, opinion, or performance)
• 5 tactics to proactively avoid drift
• leveraging data to course-correct and prevent future drift

Download the white paper below.