Chartbook on Patient Safety

AHRQ has released the Chartbook on Patient Safety, a data resource that shows recent gains in safety include declining rates of urinary tract infections and pressure ulcers in nursing homes.

Despite those improvements, safety-related disparities persist in several areas of care. In 2017, for example, high-risk Black patients in long-stay nursing homes were more likely than Whites to have a pressure ulcer (7.2 percent vs. 4.3 percent).

In addition to nursing home data, the chartbook describes safety trends in hospital, ambulatory, and home health settings, as well as trends related to communication, and the use of safety tools and resources. Like other chartbooks, the publication draws from data in AHRQ’s annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. Previous chartbooks provided data on care coordination, access to care, care for Blacks and healthy living.

Select to access AHRQ's Chartbook on Patient Safety.