It’s a sobering reality more than 153,000 Canadians were harmed in hospitals last year, and many of those cases were preventable. According to a recent study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), one in every 17 hospitalizations in 2024–25 involved a harmful event. That’s not a statistic we should accept as “normal” in a country that prides itself on universal, high-quality healthcare.
Hospitals are meant to be places of healing, yet for too many Canadians, they’ve become places where additional suffering begins. CIHI’s report reveals that one in four patients who experienced harm suffered multiple harmful events, compounding their pain and extending their stays. These incidents range from medication errors and hospital-acquired infections to falls, burns, and complications from medical procedures.
The numbers paint a disturbing picture. Those who experienced harm stayed in hospital an average of 28 days nearly five times longer than patients who didn’t. The financial burden is staggering too: a hospitalization involving harm costs an average of $44,641, compared to $9,792 for those without complications. Multiply that by thousands of cases, and you begin to see the immense strain this puts on our already overburdened healthcare system.
But beyond the numbers are human lives seniors losing mobility after preventable falls, families watching loved ones suffer infections that should never have occurred, patients enduring months of additional recovery because of mistakes that could have been avoided. These are not mere data points; they are stories of unnecessary pain.
What’s most troubling is that this problem isn’t improving. The rate of hospital harm has remained steady at around six incidents per 100 hospitalizations since the COVID-19 pandemic higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 5.3. Despite years of discussion, training, and safety protocols, progress has stalled.
Part of the reason may be shifting priorities. As a 2025 report in Healthcare Quarterly points out, patient safety has been pushed aside as hospitals grapple with post-pandemic recovery, staffing shortages, and burnout. These challenges are real, but neglecting safety only worsens them. Every preventable incident not only harms patients it consumes precious hospital resources, fills beds longer, and drives costs higher.
It’s time for Canada to refocus on what truly matters: making patient safety non-negotiable again. Implementing evidence-based practices isn’t optional; it’s essential. From stricter infection control to better medication tracking and fall prevention programs, there are proven measures that can make a difference but only if they’re prioritized and funded properly.
Our healthcare system is built on compassion and trust. When patients enter a hospital, they should feel confident they’ll leave healthier, not harmed. Every preventable incident is a reminder that we have more work to do not just in medicine, but in accountability.
Because behind every statistic lies a person who went to a hospital for help and came out with harm instead.
