Understanding In-Hospital Adverse Events
Author Information
Author(s): de Vries E N, Ramrattan M A, Smorenburg S M, Gouma D J, Boermeester M A
Primary Institution: Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam
Hypothesis
What percentage of in-hospital adverse events are preventable and what types are most common?
Conclusion
Nearly 9% of patients experience adverse events during hospital admission, with a significant portion being preventable.
Supporting Evidence
- The median overall incidence of in-hospital adverse events was found to be 9.2%.
- 43.5% of the adverse events were judged to be preventable.
- 56.3% of patients experienced no or minor disability from adverse events.
- Operation-related events accounted for 39.6% of adverse events.
- Medication-related events constituted 15.1% of adverse events.
Takeaway
When people go to the hospital, about 1 in 10 might have a problem caused by the hospital itself, and many of these problems could be avoided.
Methodology
A systematic review of literature was conducted, analyzing data from multiple studies on in-hospital adverse events.
Potential Biases
Differences in methodology and perspectives among studies may lead to varying incidence rates.
Limitations
The review is based solely on retrospective record studies, which may underestimate the problem due to documentation quality issues.
Participant Demographics
The studies included adult hospital patients from various countries including the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
9.2% (IQR 4.6–12.4%) for incidence, 43.5% (IQR 39.4–49.6%) for preventability
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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