Safety at Home: A Pan-Canadian Home Care Study Released

On June 26, 2013, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute released Safety at Home: A Pan-Canadian Home Care Study, the first study of its kind in Canada and internationally. Researchers examined the incidence and reasons for harmful incidents, determined the impact on families and clients, and made suggestions on how to make home care safer for Canadians.

Dr. Diane Doran at University of Toronto and Dr. Régis Blais at Université de Montréal, co-leads of the study, worked with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and key stakeholders from across Canada. The team found that approximately 10 to 13 percent of home care clients experienced an adverse event annually and over 50 percent of those incidents are preventable. The most common incidents were injuries from falls, medication-related incidents and infections. The team is developing tools and resources for clients, caregivers, home care organizations, and policy makers, with the aim of informing change in policy, practice, and behavior in the home care setting.

The study was funded by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and its partners – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, and The Change Foundation.

Download the study

Watch a video on the study