Patient Safety Indicators in England from Hospital Data
Author Information
Author(s): Veena S Raleigh, Jeremy Cooper, Stephen Bremner, Sarah Scobie
Primary Institution: Healthcare Commission, London
Hypothesis
Can patient safety indicators derived from routine hospital data indicate adverse outcomes for patients?
Conclusion
Hospital administrative data can provide useful information on safety events, showing that patients with safety events have poorer outcomes than matched controls.
Supporting Evidence
- Hospital stays were longer in cases than in matched controls for all but one indicator.
- Mortality in cases was higher than in controls for most indicators.
- England's rates for safety indicators were lower than those in the US.
Takeaway
This study looked at how safe patients are in hospitals by using data from hospital records. It found that when patients have safety problems, they tend to stay in the hospital longer and have worse outcomes.
Methodology
Nine patient safety indicators were derived from hospital episode statistics for England, and a case-control analysis was performed comparing outcomes between cases and matched controls.
Potential Biases
Potential biases may arise from incomplete coding of secondary diagnoses and differences in healthcare systems between England and the US.
Limitations
The study's findings may be limited by variable coding depth in hospital data and the need for better event recording.
Participant Demographics
Inpatients in NHS trusts in England.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
95% confidence intervals provided for various indicators
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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