In 2024, the overall infection rate in Pennsylvania long-term care facilities was 1.08 infections per 1,000 resident days, showing a 9.1% increase from 2023.
p-value: p=0.0011
** The Patient Safety 2025 highlights issue is available online to read, download, print, and share at no charge. This special edition features some of the journal’s most-read articles from the last year, including original research, data analyses, and safety recommendations and updates from the Patient Safety Authority. Among these curated selections are a first-of-its-kind investigation of inpatient falls during the discharge period (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/151865-new-research-shows-discharge-window-as-high-risk-period-for-patient-falls), the impact of artificial intelligence on patient safety events (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/146252-impact-of-artificial-intelligence-on-patient-safety-events-preliminary-exploration-of-events-reported-to-the-pa-psrs-database), and a look at wrong-drug events across Pennsylvania healthcare facilities (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/134046-wrong-drug-events-across-pennsylvania-healthcare-facilities-a-systematic-analysis-of-medication-pairs-class-patterns-and-clinical-safety-implicatio). Additional highlights include • Data analyses one of the largest event reporting databases in the world, focusing on trends in serious events and incidents (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/133876-patient-safety-trends-in-2024-an-analysis-of-315-418-serious-events-and-incidents-from-the-nation-s-largest-event-reporting-database), and healthcare-associated infections in long-term care (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/133900-long-term-care-healthcare-associated-infections-in-2024-an-analysis-of-26-501-reports) • Quality improvement studies to promote a culture of patient safety (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/137737-promoting-a-culture-of-patient-safety-using-the-principles-of-just-culture-to-improve-transparency-and-risk-reporting-in-the-hospital-setting), decrease surgical specimen-handling issues (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/138256-decreasing-surgical-specimen-handling-errors-a-network-quality-improvement-journey), reduce emergencies for children with asthma (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/134044-enhancing-childhood-asthma-control-and-reducing-emergencies-through-the-implementation-of-the-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-s-exhale-stra), and standardize intravenous (IV) electrolyte administration (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/143618-standardizing-iv-electrolyte-administration-in-pediatric-oncology-a-quality-improvement-initiative) • Important notices about risks related to tourniquet use during phlebotomy and IV insertion (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/128211-beware-of-the-forgotten-tourniquet-during-phlebotomy-and-iv-insertion), colonoscopy procedures (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/129611-enhancing-patient-safety-surrounding-colonoscopy-procedures), using electrosurgical units (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/142254-preventing-patient-burns-and-skin-tears-when-using-electrosurgical-units), neuromuscular blocking agents (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/143958-a-fatal-medication-error-involving-neuromuscular-blocking-agent-and-insights-from-wrong-drug-events-in-pennsylvania), and more • A reflection on how James Reason’s Swiss cheese model has helped shape patient safety (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/142807-a-physics-tribute-to-james-reason) • How the Cooper-Rowan Simulation Center prepares healthcare teams to handle anything through patient-centric collaboration (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/131766-doing-their-best-to-prepare-for-the-worst-how-the-cooper-rowan-simulation-center-builds-teamwork-from-or-to-bedside) • Meet the winners of last year’s I AM Patient Safety award contest (https://patientsafetyj.com/article/140685-2025-i-am-patient-safety-awards) Patient Safety is fully open access (no fees for authors or readers) and published on a rolling basis throughout the year. We welcome submissions from all over the world. If your manuscript can help advance patient safety, please send it to us for consideration (https://patientsafetyj.com/for-authors), and kindly share our journal articles with friends, family, colleagues, and caregivers. Subscribe to our journal email list (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/otqI5QB/journalupdates) to be updated on new articles as they are published online.
Patient Safety Authority (Wed,) conducted a other in healthcare-associated infections (HAI) (n=26,501). not applicable vs. not applicable was evaluated on overall infection rate (p=0.0011). In 2024, the overall infection rate in Pennsylvania long-term care facilities was 1.08 infections per 1,000 resident days, showing a 9.1% increase from 2023.