The number of hospital-acquired conditions decreased between 2014 and 2017, according to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report
The key details to know:
1. The 2017 rate was an estimated 86 hospital-acquired conditions per 1,000 discharges, a 13 percent decrease.
2. Starting in 2014, a larger portion of hospital inpatients was included in the hospital-acquired condition analysis. In 2014, the rate of hospital-acquired conditions was 99 per 1,000 hospital discharges.
3. According to the method used prior to 2014, the 2014 rate was 121 hospital-acquired conditions per 1,000 discharges. Both methods use 28 patient safety measures, including procedure injuries, falls, ulcers and infections.
4. The updated 2017 rate equals about 2,550,000 hospital-acquired conditions. The final 2017 hospital-acquired condition rate will be recalculated, updated and released in late 2019.