Hospital safety needs improving, according to study

Doctor with hospital patient

November 21, 2024—More than one-third of patients admitted to the hospital for surgery suffered complications, most of which may have been preventable, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The study was published Nov. 13 in The BMJ.

In 1991, researchers, including several from Harvard Chan School, published a study showing the prevalence of injuries caused by medical errors. Fast forward to 2024 and researchers sought to produce an update to the original study. “We’re trying to figure out, have things changed? Have they gotten better?” said co-author David Bates, professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard Chan School, in a Nov. 15 CNN article.

The researchers recruited nurses and physicians to examine the medical records of 1,009 patients admitted to 11 Massachusetts hospitals for surgery in 2018. These clinicians identified patients who suffered an adverse event, classified into specific types, including complications related to surgery, drugs, nursing care, infection, and blood transfusion. They also identified signs of error during patients’ care, such as mistakes in diagnosis or failures to follow procedures.

The study found that at least one adverse event occurred among 38% of patients. Of these events, 60% were potentially preventable, 21% were definitely or probably preventable, and 16% were considered serious or life-threatening. Complications during surgery itself were most common, followed by complications from medications and from infections associated with health care.

Bates told CNN it’s tricky to directly compare the findings of the original study and the new one given how much health care has changed between 1991 and 2024. Still, he concluded, “It’s clear that the problem has not gone away. If anything, it’s even bigger than it was.”

The study highlights the need for continued efforts toward improving hospital safety, and for every kind of health care professional to participate in these efforts, the researchers wrote. Patients aren’t responsible—though Bates shared some things they can do to reduce their own risk of complications.

“It’s useful, for example, to know what medications you’re taking and to keep track of what the dosages are,” he said. “And having someone else, either a friend or a loved one, there [with you in the hospital] can be really helpful.”

Read the CNN article: More than 1 in 3 surgical patients has complications, study finds, and many are the result of medical errors

Read the study: Safety of inpatient care in surgical settings: cohort study

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