Canadian Hospital Patients Face Growing Rates of Harm: Study

The research says the rate of harm for hospital patients increased along with the rates of staff absenteeism, overtime, and use of agency staff.

A bed in need of cleaning is moved in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at St. Paul’s hospital in downtown Vancouver on April 21, 2020. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

A new report shows that the rate of harm to hospital patients in the Canadian health-care system is growing, as 1 in 17 patients was harmed during their hospital stay in 2022–23, research by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says. 

CIHI’s Hospital Harm report, released on Oct. 19, looks at harm caused to patients “that could be potentially prevented by implementing known evidence-informed practices.”