Adverse events during hospital care are a global concern. The evidence for addressing unsafe acute care using pay-for-performance is inconclusive. This research examined the association between the introduction of a financial penalty introduced by Australian policy in July 2018 and the prevalence of 13 high-priority hospital-acquired complications in Australian public hospitals.

This report examines how patient safety governance mechanisms in OECD countries have withstood the test of COVID-19 and provides recommendations for countries in further improving patient safety governance and strengthening health system resilience.