Researchers evaluate patient experience through the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services uses to publicly report patients' perspectives of hospital care. The report focuses on five patient experience measures that have a direct impact on safety outcomes:

Nurse communication
Doctor communication
Hospital staff responsiveness
Communication about medicines
Discharge information

Patient experience began to worsen at the start of the pandemic. Although the spring report shows the first signs of improvement, with all measures significantly improving since fall 2023, they still are far from pre-pandemic levels. However, 92% of hospitals have improved performance on at least one of three dangerous preventable health care associated infections since 2022:

Central line-associated bloodstream infections decreased by 34%;
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections dropped by 30%; and
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus also fell by 30%.

Related: Sharp uptick in ER visits, hospitalizations for COVID, flu & RSV (and gaining momentum)

Even with the improvement, an estimated 250,000 people a year die of preventable errors and infections in hospitals, which makes patient safety problems the third-leading cause of death in the United States.

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Hospital safety grades 'significantly' improved, since the pandemic

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