Nation IN BRIEF : ILLINOIS : Hospital Quality Comes Under Fire

More than a third of U.S. hospitals failed to meet quality standards for surgery, blood transfusions and treatment in coronary and intensive care units, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. In addition, the newspaper said, more than 40% of hospitals surveyed were cited for violations of safety standards, ranging from inadequate electrical wiring to improper disposal of hazardous waste. The report was based on data collected from 1986 to 1988 by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which sets national standards of quality for health-care facilities. “Compliance problems mean that there is a greater risk of a bad outcome, such as infection in the hospital, or a transfusion reaction or a surgical misadventure,” said Dr. Dennis O’Leary, president of the commission. “We consider that to be serious.” The commission, which usually does not release its studies, said it had not analyzed the data to determine how many violations were major.