Data were extracted from administrative databases within a large healthcare organization for one calendar year to include frequency of adverse events (patient falls, medication variance, IV variance, treatment/test/procedure), worker injury (Blood/body fluid exposure (BBFs), patient handling injury, slip/fall, exposure to aggressive behaviour) and organizational data (sick time, overtime, hours paid to long-term disability). Data were grouped by site (n=44) and normalized using productive pours. Correlation analyses were performed including all variables controlling for type of care environment. Significant correlations were found among a number of variables. Patient falls were significantly correlated with injuries to workers due to slips/falls, worker exposure to aggressive behaviour and worker injuries during patient handling tasks. All four types of adverse events were significantly correlated with overtime hours, patient handling injuries and BBFs. Sick time was not correlated with any indicator.

This analysis demonstrates that adverse events to patients, specifically patient falls, are associated with worker injuries. Further analysis should be conducted to examine whether patient falls are occurring at times when worker are performing patient-handling activities. Efforts to prevent patient falls should include examination of patient handling practices of care providers. Overtime appears to be associated with both adverse events and worker injuries.  Efforts to improve patient safety and worker safety should also examine staffing patterns to reduce or mitigate overtime.

There are significant associations between indicators of patient safety, worker safety and organizational burden as described by sick time and overtime. These relationships are worthy of further exploration, specifically in the temporal relationship between patient falls and injuries to workers during patient handling activities.