Go to the HealthGrades Web site’s Patient Safety Excellence Awards page and review one of the Patient Safety reports available there. Here’s how to find a report:

1. After navigating to the HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Awards page, scroll down and click the link just under the text “This Year’s Recipients.” The link should read something like “…Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Recipients.”
2. Click the link and you will navigate to the “Patient Safety Excellence Award™ Recipients …” page, on which the hosiptal recipients of the award are listed. Click one of the names, and you will navigate to that hospital’s Patient Safety report.
3. Scroll down the report and you will find a table titled “All Patient Safety Indicators.”

Alternatively, you can use the HealthGrades Web site’s search function, which is just to the right the HealthGrades logo at the top of the page. Click the “HOSPITALS” tab above the seach field and start typing the name of a hospital in the search field. The name of the hospital should appear among the choices presented; select it and perform Step 3 above.

Examine the information in the sample safety report from the point of view of a patient. State how patient safety ratings would influence your choice of hospital. Which, for you, are the most critical indicators? Give reasons citing indicators and results for those chosen indicators. Write your analysis in one page.

Now, think like a risk manager. List the safety indicators that pertain to the high-risk area you selected in Week 1. This will require some research. Chart audits are widely used, but the information in them varies. For example, checking for proper signatures on all forms and orders can be used universally, while daily recording of medication refrigeration temperature will only be used in some areas.

Select a minimum of three and a maximum of four indicators for measurement in your quality improvement program.

For each indicator, include the following information:

Finally, explain how these indicators taken together cover all aspects of quality in the high-risk area.

Put together your analysis of patient safety ratings and your list of indicators.