Trends in adverse event rates in hospitalised patients, 2010-2019 (12 July 2012)

Summary

Patient safety is a US national priority, yet lacks a comprehensive assessment of progress over the past decade. This study determined the change in the rate of adverse events in hospitalised patients.

The study found that in the US between 2010 and 2019, there was a significant decrease in the rates of adverse events abstracted from medical records for patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia, and major surgical procedures and there was a significant decrease in the adjusted rates of adverse events between 2012 and 2019 for all other conditions. Further research is needed to understand the extent to which these trends represent a change in patient safety.