The Quality in Australian Health Care Study.
In order to estimate patient injury and its direct consequences, the authors of this retrospective study examined more than 14,000 admissions to 28 hospitals to identify adverse events. Using a screening system and confirmatory agreement among three medical officers, adverse events were categorized by clinical type, patient characteristics, extra bed-days attributable, disability attributable, and preventability. Results demonstrated that nearly 17% of admissions were associated with an adverse event and approximately half were deemed preventable. The authors extrapolate their findings to draw estimations for all of Australia, and they conclude that adverse events account for substantial resource, cost, and preventable adverse outcomes. Their study provides a comprehensive approach to using chart review as a method for capturing adverse events.