Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. hospitalized patients experience harmful events, study finds
Nearly 1 in 4 patients admitted to a hospital experienced an adverse event, most of which were linked to medications or surgery.
Nearly 1 in 4 patients who are admitted to hospitals in the U.S. will experience harm, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The stark findings underscore that, despite decades of effort, U.S. hospitals still have a long way to go to improve patient safety, experts say.
“These numbers are disappointing, but not shocking,” said lead study author Dr. David Bates, the chief of general medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the medical director of clinical and quality analysis for Mass General Brigham in Boston. “They do show we still have lots of work to do.”
The research looked at the medical records of 2,809 patients who were hospitalized in 11 Boston-area hospitals in 2018. The study excluded people who were admitted for observation only or for hospice, rehabilitation, addiction treatment or psychiatric care.
Hospital data showed that 663 of the patients — about 24% — experienced at least one event during their stays that negatively affected their health, even temporarily.
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