An official website of the United States government
The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before
sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal
government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the
official website and that any information you provide is encrypted
and transmitted securely.
Adverse events are common across healthcare systems, with some studies' results reporting that 10% to 25% of patients are affected. Definitions vary across studies and institutions, but an adverse event is generally defined as a patient injury arising from medical intervention that necessitates additional treatment or hospitalization or results in death. (Source: University of California, Davis Patient Safety Network Editorial Team, 2024.) Nearly any medical test or treatment carries the potential for harm. The consequences vary widely in severity depending on the clinical context. Although some adverse events are unavoidable, many are preventable. In recent decades, large-scale initiatives have aimed to analyze and reduce preventable errors to improve patient safety.
de Vries EN, Ramrattan MA, Smorenburg SM, Gouma DJ, Boermeester MA. The incidence and nature of in-hospital adverse events: a systematic review. Qual Saf Health Care. 2008 Jun;17(3):216-23.
-
PMC
-
PubMed
Bates DW, Levine DM, Salmasian H, Syrowatka A, Shahian DM, Lipsitz S, Zebrowski JP, Myers LC, Logan MS, Roy CG, Iannaccone C, Frits ML, Volk LA, Dulgarian S, Amato MG, Edrees HH, Sato L, Folcarelli P, Einbinder JS, Reynolds ME, Mort E. The Safety of Inpatient Health Care. N Engl J Med. 2023 Jan 12;388(2):142-153.
-
PubMed
Voskanyan YV. [Safety of patients and adverse events related thereto in medicine]. Angiol Sosud Khir. 2018;24(4):11-17.
-
PubMed
Kim J, Parish AL. Polypharmacy and Medication Management in Older Adults. Nurs Clin North Am. 2017 Sep;52(3):457-468.
-
PubMed
Prochnow JA, Meiers SJ, Scheckel MM. Improving Patient and Caregiver New Medication Education Using an Innovative Teach-back Toolkit. J Nurs Care Qual. 2019 Apr/Jun;34(2):101-106.
-
PubMed
