Health Care Quality and Patient Safety
ODPHP is committed to achieving high-quality health care for all Americans. Our initiatives aim to increase patient safety through prevention strategies focused on adverse drug events, health care-associated infections, and other aspects of patient care.
News & Announcements
Posted on Jan 24, 2017
In December 2016, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a preliminary update to the National Scorecard on Rates of Hospital-Acquired Conditions showing a 21 percent reduction in hospital-acquired conditions – preventable complications during hospital visits – from the years 2010 to 2015. This update shows that nearly 125,000 fewer patients died, more than 3 million adverse events were avoided, and over $28 billion in health care costs were saved.…
Featured Initiatives
Many ADEs (injuries that result from medical intervention related to a drug) are preventable. Our national action plan to prevent ADEs seeks to engage leaders at all levels to use evidence-based guidelines and strategies to help prevent ADEs.
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HAIs (infections people get while they are receiving health care) are a significant cause of illness and death. Our national action plan to reduce HAIs provides a road map for preventing HAIs in health care facilities.
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This interactive training for health professionals promotes the appropriate, safe, and effective use of opioids to manage chronic pain.
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This online video-simulation training program focuses on HAI prevention for clinicians, health professional students, and patient advocates.
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