Abstract
BackgroundSeveral review studies have shown that 3.4% to 16.6% of patients in acute care hospitals experience one or more adverse events. Adverse events (AEs) in hospitals constitute a significant problem with serious consequences and a challenge for public health. The occurrence of AEs in Portuguese hospitals has not yet been systematically studied. The main purpose of this study is to estimate the incidence, impact and preventability of adverse events in Portuguese hospitals. It is also our aim to examine the feasibility of applying to Portuguese acute hospitals the methodology of detecting AEs through record review, previously used in other countries.MethodsThis work is based on a retrospective cohort study and was carried out at three acute care hospitals in the Administrative Region of Lisbon. The identification of AEs and their impact was done using a two-stage structured retrospective medical records review based on the use of 18 screening criteria. A random sample of 1,669 medical records (representative of 47,783 hospital admissions) for the year 2009 was analyzed.ResultsThe main results found in this study were an incidence rate of 11.1% AEs, of which around 53.2% were considered preventable. The majority of AEs were associated with surgical procedures (27%), drug errors (18.3%) and hospital acquired infections (12.2%). Most AEs (61%) resulted in minimal or no physical impairment or disability, and 10.8% were associated with death. In 58.6% of the AEs’ cases, the length of stay was prolonged on average 10.7 days. Additional direct costs amounted to €470,380.00.ConclusionThe magnitude of these results was critical, reinforcing the need of more detailed studies in this area. The knowledge of the incidence and nature of AEs that occur in hospitals should be seen as a first step towards the improvement of quality and safety in health care.
Highlights
Several review studies have shown that 3.4% to 16.6% of patients in acute care hospitals experience one or more adverse events
We considered Adverse events (AEs) that occurred during the index hospital admission and that were detected during either the index or subsequent hospital admissions over the following 12-month period
The highest proportions of AEs identified were related to surgical procedures (27.0%), drug errors (18.3%) and hospital-acquired infection (12.2%)
Summary
Several review studies have shown that 3.4% to 16.6% of patients in acute care hospitals experience one or more adverse events. The main purpose of this study is to estimate the incidence, impact and preventability of adverse events in Portuguese hospitals. Adverse events (AEs) occur with alarming frequency in healthcare. These events represent significant losses from a clinical, economic and social perspective [1,2,3]. To learn from these events and improve safety, they must be identified, measured and their causes found. As far as we know there have been no studies to date on the occurrence, nature, preventability and impact of AEs in Portuguese hospitals
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
