TY - JOUR T1 - Iatrogenic illness on a general medical service at a university hospital JF - Quality and Safety in Health Care JO - Qual Saf Health Care SP - 76 LP - 80 DO - 10.1136/qshc.2002.003830 VL - 13 IS - 1 AU - K Steel AU - P M Gertman AU - C Crescenzi AU - J Anderson Y1 - 2004/02/01 UR - http://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/13/1/76.abstract N2 - We found that 36% of 815 consecutive patients on a general medical service of a university hospital had an iatrogenic illness. In 9% of all persons admitted, the incident was considered major in that it threatened life or produced considerable disability. In 2% of the 815 patients, the iatrogenic illness was believed to contribute to the death of the patient. Exposure to drugs was a particularly important factor in determining which patients had complications. Given the increasing number and complexity of diagnostic procedures and therapeutic agents, monitoring of untoward events is essential, and attention should be paid to educational efforts to reduce the risks of iatrogenic illness. ER -