Adverse events, mostly preventable, affect over one in three surgery patients, study finds

By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-22 23:17:04 | Updated at 2024-11-23 03:54:49 4 hours ago

Adverse events, mostly preventable, affect over one in three surgery patients, study finds
Medical Xpress / British Medical Journal / The BMJ ^ | Nov. 14, 2024 | Antoine Duclos, et al

Posted on 11/22/2024 3:16:09 PM PST by ConservativeMind

Adverse events affect more than a third (38%) of adults undergoing surgery, finds a study of admissions to 11 hospitals in the US state of Massachusetts.

Of the 1,009 admissions analyzed, nearly half were classified as major (resulting in serious, life threatening or fatal harm) and the majority were considered as potentially preventable.

Researchers set out to estimate the frequency, severity and preventability of adverse events associated with perioperative care (from before surgery to full recovery), and to describe the setting and professions concerned.

Their findings are based on a randomly selected sample of 1009 patients aged 18 years and older admitted to 11 hospitals in Massachusetts for surgery during 2018. The hospitals were chosen to represent a mix of both large and small facilities across three different health care systems and estimates were weighted to take account of differences in the sample population.

Trained nurses reviewed all records and flagged admissions with possible adverse events, which were then adjudicated by physicians.

Of the 1,009 reviewed admissions (average age 61; 52% women), adverse events were identified in 383 (38%), with major adverse events occurring in 160 (16%).

Of 593 identified adverse events, 353 (60%) were potentially preventable and 123 (21%) were definitely or probably preventable.

The most common adverse events were related to surgical procedures (49%), followed by adverse drug events (27%), health care associated infections (12%), patient care events, such as a fall or pressure ulcer (11%), and blood transfusion reactions (0.5%).

Half of these events took place in general care units, followed by operating rooms (26%), intensive care units (13%), and other in-hospital locations (7%). Professions most often involved were attending physicians (90%), followed by nurses (59%), residents (50%), and advanced level practitioners (29%).

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...

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Expect adverse events 38% of the time, with 87% of those being likely preventable.

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2 posted on 11/22/2024 3:16:36 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)

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