Report Shows Improvements in Patient Safety, Experience

March 14, 2025

The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently released a report detailing gains in key patient safety outcomes, as well as patients’ reported experience with hospitals. It also shows that health care professionals have had a rebound in their reported experience and perceptions of patient safety culture.

The report, Improvement in Safety Culture Linked to Better Patient and Staff Outcomes shows how hospitals prioritizing safety also results in better experience for patients and the health care workforce.

“Every day in hospitals across America, dedicated care teams strive to deliver safe, high-quality care to every patient. This commitment involves continually identifying what drives better outcomes and then implementing changes to improve patient care,” AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Patients reporting progress:  13 million patients surveyed after hospital stays reported improvements in their overall care experience and perception of safety.
• Healthcare workers surveyed:  Surveys of 1.7 million members of the health care workforce show a rebound in their reported experience, resilience, and perceptions of patient safety culture, following the enormous strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Decline in complications:  Improvements were reported in key patient safety outcomes, like falls and infections, across more than 25,000 units in 2,430 hospitals.
• Positive outlook: The report demonstrates continued positive trends for hospitals and health systems that were outlined in a September 2024 report by AHA. That report showed a decrease in adverse patient safety events along with increasing health care screenings—even as hospitals are caring for more higher acuity patients.
• Quotable: “At the heart of health care are people caring for other people, which is why hospitals support and invest in the success and well-being of their workforce. The latest Press Ganey data highlight that care is getting safer as the experience of both patients and the health care workforce improves,” said Pollack.

The report is available online.