57 S.C. hospitals receive Zero Harm Awards.

A record 57 hospitals in South Carolina have received 230 Certified Zero Harm Awards, presented through a collaboration between the South Carolina Hospital Association and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The awards collectively represent 148,173 central line infection-free days and 19,771 surgical procedures with no medically caused harm, according to a news release from the hospital association. Those numbers translated into 1,047,054 days of patient safety.

To be recognized, hospitals must experience no preventable hospital-acquired infections during an extended period of time. DHEC independently verifies the hospitals' reports.

The Zero Harm program began in 2014 to recognize hospitals that make intensive efforts to prevent medical errors and is part of the hospital association's efforts to support S.C. hospitals as they adopt best practices such as surgical safety checklists and initiatives...