The Oregon Patient Safety Commission (OPSC), a non-regulatory, semi-independent state agency that supports healthcare facilities and providers in improving patient safety in Oregon, partnered with a local research firm in early 2025 to conduct a statewide survey to learn more about how medical harm affects Oregonians and in what ways the response they receive shapes their experience. In its published results of the survey entitled From Harm to Healing: The State of Patient Safety in Oregon, the OPSC stated: the survey findings reinforce that medical harm is not uncommon in Oregon, and when harm does happen, Oregonians expect transparency. Most importantly, the survey shows that our healthcare system has work to do to better meet this expectation. Some of what we learned is:
- 30% of Oregonians have had experience with medical harm in the last 5 years; this includes direct experience of harm or harm experienced by someone close to them.
- Oregonians expect transparency about medical harm—more than 9 in 10 of those surveyed agreed that healthcare providers should be required to tell patients if a medical error is made during their care.
- Oregonians want to be informed right away about medical harm, and they want an apology for what happened; however, only 31% of Oregonians who experienced harm got this type of response from the healthcare provider or facility.
- The more serious the health consequences of the harm, the less likely Oregonians were to be informed or to get an apology.
More Oregonians who were both informed about the medical harm when it happened and given an apology were satisfied with the provider or facility’s response. Satisfaction was significantly lower for those who were either informed of the error when it occurred or given an apology, but not both (only 2 in 10 were satisfied).
Among all respondents who had experienced medical harm, financial compensation was their lowest-ranked priority:
- Those who were both informed about a medical error and given an apology were half as likely to prioritize financial compensation compared to those who received neither.
- Those who were not satisfied by the response they received were more likely to prioritize financial compensation compared to those who were satisfied.
Fewer than half of Oregonians who had experienced medical harm were informed of the error or were given an apology. And the more serious the health consequences of the harm, the less likely they were to get an apology; they were also less likely to be informed of the error. In those more serious situations, only 12% of those receiving an apology prioritized compensation; but that number jumped to 40% for those not receiving an apology.
Despite the prevalence of medical harm, Oregonians overwhelmingly have confidence in their personal doctor (77%) and almost equally high confidence in other doctors in their community (73%). This corresponds with high ratings for the quality of healthcare in their community. For Oregonians, a more personal connection equates to a higher level of confidence. As a connection becomes less personal to a patient, their confidence decreases.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries (or worse) as a result of medical negligence in Oregon or in anther U.S. state, you should promptly seek the legal advice of an Oregon medical malpractice lawyer, or a medical malpractice lawyer in your state, who may investigate your medical malpractice claim for you and represent you or your loved one in a medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find medical malpractice attorneys in your state who may assist you.
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