This report describes the patient safety results from a national phone survey of 474 CAH administrators conducted in early 2004. Survey respondents were asked about: 1) top patient safety priorities; 2) familiarity with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) National Patient Safety Goals and implementation of initiatives related to the goals; 3) factors that limit or support their ability to implement patient safety interventions; and 4) pharmacist staffing and computer software to improve medication safety.

The survey findings provide encouraging evidence of CAH interest in patient safety, but should be interpreted cautiously, because of the significant number of CAHs that reported that financial resources, staff time, and technology are limiting factors in their ability to implement patient safety interventions.