Your chance of suffering from an "adverse event" in a Canadian hospital is almost three times higher than your chance of winning if you bet a number on a roulette wheel. According to The Canadian Adverse Events Study, adverse events "are unintended injuries or complications that are caused by health care management, rather than by the patient's underlying disease, and that lead to death, disability at the time of discharge or prolonged hospital stays." The study found an overall incidence rate of adverse events of 7.5%; the probably of winning on one number in roulette is 2.6% - about a third the chance of being hurt by the health system.

The Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation compares health service organizations, including hospitals, to national standards.

Bob Smith, CEO of the Fraser Health Region, once served as Chair of the Canadian Hospital Association (CHA). In 1995 the CHA changed its name to the Canadian Healthcare Association. In the same year, the body responsible for accrediting hospitals changed its name to the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA); that body's website provides an interesting history. It's a safe bet that most Canadians, including the estimated 185,000 per year who suffer adverse events, have never heard of CCHSA.

In the wake of shocking news stories over infection following C-sections at Surrey Memorial Hospital, Health Minister Collin Hansen announced that the Chair of B.C.'s Patient Safety Task Force would explore delivery of obstetrical and emergency care at Surrey Memorial. That is a good first step, but maybe not good enough for a government in damage control and worried about the consequences of its record on contracting out health services. Hansen, interviewed on the Rafe Mair show on Monday, November 22nd by guest host Shiral Tobin, said that there is no evidence to connect contracted out cleaning services to the infection outbreak. That is something for the Task Force to determine, not for Hansen to presume.

The Patient Safety Task Force investigation in Surrey Memorial should be "transparent", and its report should be made public. That will take months; in the meantime, the accreditation reports on Surrey Memorial for the past several years, and all other BC health facilities, should be made public, and posted to health authority websites.