Executive Summary
Patient safety in healthcare is being sustained through extraordinary human effort. Despite rising patient acuity, workforce shortages, documentation demands, and operational pressures, many healthcare organizations continue to report strong patient safety performance. Research from more than 230 clinical leaders found that organizations with stronger perceptions of quality and patient safety consistently emphasized staff engagement, proactive monitoring, structured governance, continuous learning, and timely access to clinical information.
This report explores the current state of patient safety in healthcare across acute and post-acute settings, examining the challenges leaders face, the characteristics of effective patient safety programs, and the evolving role of patient safety technology in supporting safer care delivery. The findings reveal a healthcare environment where clinical teams are being asked to manage increasing complexity while maintaining high standards of care and operational performance.
Clinical leaders consistently highlighted the importance of patient safety culture, staff engagement, communication, and clinical vigilance as foundational elements of healthcare quality improvement. At the same time, organizations are increasingly investing in clinical surveillance, clinical risk surveillance, safety event reporting, and patient safety software to improve visibility into emerging risks and support earlier intervention.
A central theme emerged throughout the research: patient safety remains fundamentally human. While technology can strengthen situational awareness, reduce manual burden, and support more proactive workflows, leaders emphasized that observation, professional judgment, and frontline expertise remain essential to preventing harm and improving outcomes. Looking ahead, respondents expressed cautious optimism about artificial intelligence and advanced patient safety technology, provided these tools enhance clinical decision-making while preserving trust and human oversight.
Whether you’re evaluating patient safety programs, strengthening quality and patient safety initiatives, or exploring new approaches to clinical surveillance, this research is for you. Explore practical insights into the priorities, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of patient safety in healthcare.
Research highlights:
- Nearly 70% of clinical leaders describe patient safety as a significant challenge despite generally positive safety performance ratings.
- Rising patient acuity and staffing shortages emerged as the most frequently cited pressures affecting patient safety.
- Organizations reporting stronger safety performance were more likely to emphasize staff engagement, proactive monitoring, structured governance, and continuous learning.
- More than half of leaders identified timely access to clinical information as a significant challenge or concern.
- Clinical surveillance and patient safety technology are increasingly being used to identify risks earlier and support intervention.
- Nearly seven in 10 organizations report using software automation for safety event reporting and analysis.
- More than three-quarters of leaders are optimistic about AI’s potential role in patient safety and quality management when supported by human oversight.
