Visitor behaviors can influence the risk of patient harm: An analysis of patient safety reports from 92 hospitals (June 2022)

Summary

Previous research has shown that visitors can decrease the risk of patient harm; however, the potential to increase the risk of patient harm has been understudied. Sanchez et al. queried the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System database to identify event reports that described visitor behaviours contributing to either a decreased or increased risk of patient harm.

The study provides insight into which visitor behaviours are contributing to a decreased risk of patient harm and adds to the literature by identifying behaviours that can increase the risk of patient harm, across multiple event types. 

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