​The Canadian Home Care Association reports that in 2011, 1.4 million people received home care services, including one in every six seniors (aged 65 plus). In 2013, the landmark Safety at Home: A Pan-Canadian Home Care Study  (Doran and Blais, 2013) examined the prevalence, incidence, magnitude and types of adverse events in home care. The study found that the annual incident rate of adverse events was in the range of 10-13%.  It was judged that 56% of the adverse events were preventable.  The most common adverse events identified in the study were falls, medication errors and infections. 

The first of its kind, the Safety at Home study highlighted solutions, tools and resources to advance client safety. The study generated new knowledge to improve the safety of home care clients and forms the foundation for a home care safety action plan.

Home Care Roun​dtable

The above studies were used as the evidence-based foundation for a June 2014 home care roundtable that was hosted by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Canadian Home Care Association.

The roundtable was held in Winnipeg, Manitoba and over 35 participants gathered to identify and align a vision to advance client safety in home care. The Home Care Safety Roundtable Action Plan reflects the themes identified at the roundtable: system level communication; collaborative care; client's right to live at risk and partnering with clients and families; advance knowledge of measurement for improvement; and leading practices in medication safety, falls prevention and infection prevention and control.

• One Page Meeting Summary
• Home Care Safety Roundtable Action Plan