Adverse Events Reported in One Quarter of Inpatient Admissions

“Nearly 25% of hospital admissions included at least one adverse event, as indicated from data from 2,809 admissions at 11 hospitals,” said David W. Bates, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Interviewed by Medscape, Dr. Bates was the lead investigator on the CRICO-funded study, “The Safety of Inpatient Health Care,” that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine on January 12, 2023.

“Hospitals have many issues they are currently dealing with since COVID, and one issue is simply prioritization,” said Dr. Bates. “But it is now possible to measure harm for all patients using electronic tools, and if hospitals know how much harm they are having in specific areas, they can make choices about which ones to focus on,” he said.

The study’s findings serve as a reminder to health care professionals of the need for continued attention to improving patient safety, and measuring adverse events remains a critical part of guiding these improvements, the researchers concluded.

Full-text Citation

Splete H. Adverse events reported in one quarter of inpatient admissions. Medscape. January 18, 2023.

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