PREVENTABLE ADVERSE EVENTS LEADING TO HOSPITAL ADMISSION

Errors and related harm in ambulatory care offer opportunities for safer patient care. A review of 14 700 hospital discharge records from two US states found 70 ambulatory care adverse events, of which 31 were preventable. Preventable events occurred most commonly in physicians’ offices and the emergency department. Such events were less common in day surgery, but these caused the greatest patient harm. Overall, 10% of preventable adverse events resulted in serious permanent injury or death. When these findings are weighted for the general population, there are an estimated 75 000 hospitalisations per year attributable …