Patient Safety in Hospitals: A Review of Current Practices and Challenges

Atrayee Bandyopadhyay

doi:10.71097/IJSAT.v17.i3.11564

Patient Safety in Hospitals: A Review of Current Practices and Challenges

Author(s)	Ms. Atrayee Bandyopadhyay
Country	India
Abstract	Patient safety is the most critical component of healthcare quality management, given the increasing concerns regarding medical errors, hospital-acquired infections, and adverse patient outcomes. This review article aims to explore the major challenges associated with current patient safety practices in hospitals and to examine the strategies adopted to improve healthcare quality and reduce preventable harm. The article highlights the importance of safety culture, infection control practices, medication safety protocols, benchmarking and checklist-based standardisation, healthcare technology such as Computerised Physician Order Entry (CPOE) and Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), patient feedback mechanisms, and accreditation standards in improving patient outcomes. It further underscores that patient safety cannot be separated from the human dimension of care — the empathy, courtesy, and accountability shown by every member of the hospital staff, from the treating clinician to the front-desk and administrative personnel. A patient walks into a hospital expecting the best possible treatment at the lowest possible cost, and places complete trust in the institution. It is therefore the fundamental responsibility of the hospital to attend to every need of the patient and the patient's family. A patient who recovers successfully, is discharged smoothly, and leaves satisfied with the overall experience becomes a source of positive word of mouth, which in turn builds the brand image of the hospital and creates a lasting impression in the minds of the community it serves. Conversely, a dissatisfied patient can cause disproportionate reputational damage. Administrators, the medical team, the non-medical team, support staff, and every single employee of the hospital play a significant role in patient safety by adhering to established best practices. This review argues that effective leadership, continuous training, systematic quality-improvement approaches, robust benchmarking and checklist discipline, meaningful use of patient feedback, and a culture of empathy are together essential for creating safer and more humane healthcare environments
Keywords	Patient safety, quality, patient satisfaction, protocols, benchmarking, checklists, CPOE, clinical decision support systems, empathy, accreditation, systematic quality improvement
Field	Medical / Pharmacy
Published In	Volume 17, Issue 3, July-September 2026
Published On	2026-09-17
DOI	https://doi.org/10.71097/IJSAT.v17.i3.11564

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International Journal on Science and Technology

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Patient Safety in Hospitals: A Review of Current Practices and Challenges

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