Hospitals should be encouraged to improve the recording of medical errors on their systems, say researchers at Dr Foster, an independent organization that analyses the availability and quality of healthcare in the United Kingdom and worldwide, in this week's British Medical Journal.
About 850,000 medical errors occur in NHS hospitals every year, resulting in 40,000 deaths.
Researchers looked at four years of English hospital statistics to examine patterns in the recording of adverse events and ask whether this routinely collected source of data could be of use in monitoring this problem.
They found, on average, 2.2 percent of all episodes (about 27,500 per year) included a code for an adverse event. Misadventures were mentioned in 0.03 percent of episodes (nearly 4,000 per year). Events were more likely to occur in men, in elderly people, and in emergency admissions.
Although adverse events using routine data may be under-recorded, this analysis has shown that adverse events are recorded within hospital episode statistics, say the authors. For these statistics to accurately monitor adverse events, hospitals should be encouraged to improve the recording of events on their systems, they conclude.
To view the full paper:
http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/august/fost369.pdf
Source: British Medical Journal
Long COVID: Urgent Findings, Including Brain Alterations, Call for Renewed Public Health Focus
October 21st 2024New research highlights long COVID’s global impact, cognitive decline, and societal consequences, urging renewed focus on prevention, including vaccination, mask use, and better air quality.
Health Care-Associated Burkholderia multivorans Infections Traced to Contaminated Ice Machines
October 14th 2024Contaminated ice machines caused Burkholderia multivorans infections at hospitals in California and Colorado. Health officials recommend stopping ice machine use during clinical care to prevent further outbreaks.
Strengthening Defenses: Integrating Infection Control With Antimicrobial Stewardship
October 11th 2024Use this handout to explain the basics of why infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship are essential and how the 2 fields must have a unified approach to patient and staff safety
Blood Product Overtransfusion Is a Global Issue: Here Are 5 Reasons the Practice Must Change
October 9th 2024If a patient receives treatment or therapy that they do not need, it can cause unnecessary harm. This is true for medications, surgeries, and medical procedures, especially blood transfusions.