The safety of outpatient health care: Review of Electronic Health Records (7 May 2024)

Summary

Although most care occurs in the outpatient setting, knowledge of outpatient adverse events (AEs) remains limited. This study in Annals of Internal Medicine aimed to measure AEs in the outpatient setting through retrospective review of electronic health records (EHR). The results showed that outpatient harm was relatively common and often serious. Adverse drug events were most frequent and rates of harm were higher among older adults. The study demonstrates that Interventions to reduce outpatient harm are urgently needed.