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New Jersey Members in Favor of Public Reporting of Medical Errors

By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-07-23 14:34:58.574757-04:00

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NEW JERSEY SURVEY SHOWS AARP MEMBERS IN FAVOR OF PUBLIC REPORTING OF MAJOR MEDICAL ERRORS

Highlights

• Nearly all New Jersey AARP members say it is extremely (72%) or very (23%) important for the State to work to prevent medical errors in health care facilities. Moreover, most feel that reporting serious medical errors to the state should be required (87%), and that these reports should be made available to the public to allow individuals to compare quality among health care providers (81%).
• While most New Jersey AARP members say they are very or somewhat satisfied with the quality of health care in the state, nearly a quarter (23%) are dissatisfied. Only 16 percent of members perceive the quality of health care as having improved in the last five years. Nearly six in ten (56%) say the quality of health care has stayed the same and a quarter (24%) say it has gotten worse.
• More than four in five residents (83%) say that the amount they pay for health care has increased over the last five years. While affordability issues appear to be worrisome to the most members, a considerable number (39%) are worried about the quality of their health care getting worse.
• In taking personal responsibility for the quality of health care they receive, more than eight in ten (84%) New Jersey members have asked their doctor about their health or a treatment prescribed, and about seven in ten members have brought a list of the medications they were taking to a doctor ' s appointment (69%), checked the prescription a pharmacist gave them (69%), or talked to a surgeon about the details of surgery (66%). Further, among those who have seen information comparing health care providers and plans, at least three in ten have used the information to make comparisons on quality.
• Many (36%) New Jersey members believe that preventable medical errors are made very or somewhat often. While the main source of knowledge about preventable medical errors comes to members through the media, four in ten have been personally involved in a situation where they believe a preventable medical error has occurred, either with a family member ' s care, their own care, or both.

The AARP New Jersey State Office commissioned this survey among its members in the state to test the preference for and the acceptability of certain health care system changes that potentially could improve the quality of care provided in New Jersey.

This mail survey was conducted with a randomly selected sample of 2000 AARP New Jersey members between March 30 and April 27, 2007. Of those surveyed, 738 returned completed questionnaires by the survey end date, yielding a response rate of 37 percent. The survey has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.8 percent.

A copy of the complete report can be obtained by calling Jane Margesson, Communications Director, at 1-866-542-8165.