Per cent of total number of adverse events (AEs) per type and study
| Study reference number(s) → types of AEs | General care population | Intensive care population | |||||||||||||||
| GTT/TT methodology | HMPS methodology | GTT/TT methodology | |||||||||||||||
| 40 | 41 | 45* | 54–56 | 58 | 66 | 13 67 | 59 | 69 70 74 | 38 | 39 | 48 | 57 | 62 | 71 | 72 | 73 | |
| Nosocomial infection† | 9.2 | 59.6 | 42.8 | – | – | 18.6 | 6.8 | 13.8 | – | 6.6 | 19.2 | 9.2 | 40.0 | 27.8 | 13.5 | 20.0 | 7.3 |
| Pulmonary‡ | 3.6 | 1.9 | – | – | 4.7 | 12.8 | 16.8 | – | – | 19.2 | 13.7 | 36.7 | 16.7 | 11.0 | 10.5 | 17.8 | 23.2 |
| Skin, tissue or blood vessel harm§ | 8.1 | 1.9 | – | – | 32.6 | – | 23.8 | – | – | 8.0 | – | – | 33.3 | 15.9 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 12.3 |
| Medication related¶ | 2.5 | 3.8 | 48.6 | 12.5 | 2.3 | – | – | 37.9 | 19.1 | – | – | 1.0 | 3.3 | – | – | – | – |
| Medical technical product (eg, catheter or tube)** | – | – | – | – | 4.7 | 14.5 | – | – | – | 15.1 | 30.8 | 5.1 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 20.7 |
| Gastrointestinal†† | 4.5 | – | – | – | 37.2 | 11.8 | 8.3 | – | – | 5.6 | – | 5.1 | – | 5.2 | 1.0 | 11.1 | 4.6 |
| Neurological‡‡ | 1.0 | – | – | – | – | 5.3 | 3.3 | – | – | 4.7 | 10.3 | 2.0 | – | 16.0 | 31.1 | 13.3 | 5.1 |
| Renal, endocrine, fluid and electrolytes§§ | 5.6 | – | – | 0.8 | 2.3 | 6.3 | 5.9 | – | – | 6.8 | – | 14.3 | – | 5.4 | 21.1 | 4.4 | 17.4 |
| Surgical¶¶ | 0.9 | 9.6 | – | 30.5 | – | 8.7 | 7.5 | – | 16.3 | 1.7 | – | 7.1 | – | 0.2 | – | – | 1.9 |
| Cardiovascular*** | – | – | – | – | – | 5.4 | 4.6 | – | – | 14.4 | 1.4 | 8.2 | – | 8.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 1.2 |
| Haematological††† | 3.4 | 1.9 | – | – | 4.7 | 5.1 | 3.8 | – | – | 3.9 | 12.3 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 6.7 | 1.2 |
| Pain‡‡‡ | – | – | – | – | 11.6 | – | 5.8 | – | – | 9.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1.9 |
| Deterioration in vital signs§§§ | 7.5 | 1.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2.0 | – | – | – | 11.1 | – |
| Other¶¶¶ | 53.7 | 19.2 | – | 56.3 | – | 11.8 | 13.7 | 48.2 | 65.5 | 4.2 | 12.3 | 7.1 | – | 7.6 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 3.1 |
Examples of AEs within each type.
–Type not reported by the respective study.
*The only two AE types supplied in the publication.
†Central line-associated bloodstream infection, nosocomial infection, pneumonia, sepsis, urinary tract infection, wound infection.
‡Chylothorax, endotracheal tube malposition requiring repositioning, pneumothorax, postextubation stridor, reintubation, respiratory depression/compromise, unplanned extubation.
§Burn, blister, catheter infiltration, extravasation injury, nasal septum injury, pressure sore, skin breakdown, skin lesion, skin necrosis, skin problems.
¶Medication error, abrupt medication stop, drug level out of range, hyaluronic acid adverse reaction, medication related.
**Bladder catheter obstruction, feeding tube complication, intravenous catheter complication, tube complication (foley, chest drain or nasogastric tube).
††Abdominal compartment syndrome, antiemetic given, constipation, delay in diagnosis of gastric perforation, emesis/vomiting, necrosis of digits.
‡‡Abnormal cranial imaging, agitation/delirium, central nervous system bleed, delirium/agitation, neurological complication, oversedation, seizure, stroke, withdrawal symptoms.
§§Abnormal electrolyte levels, acute renal failure, blood glucose disorders, dehydration, fluid overload, hyperglycaemia, hypoglycaemia, renal dysfunction, urinary retention.
¶¶Removal/injury or repair of organ, return to surgery, surgical complication.
***Abnormal heart rate or blood pressure, arrhythmia, cardiac depression/compromise, cardiac rhythm derangements (eg, bradycardia, tachycardia, other arrhythmias), hypotension.
†††Anaemia unspecified, bleeding from feeding tube, blood transfusions, deep vein thrombosis, emboli, haemorrhage/haematoma, postoperative bleeding, thrombocytopenia.
‡‡‡Pain, postoperative pain, uncontrolled pain.
§§§Cardiac arrest/respiratory arrest, cardiac or pulmonary arrest, or rapid response team activation, resuscitation, vital sign changes.
¶¶¶Allergic reaction/hypersensitivity reaction, birth-related, blood sample redraws, care-related, complication of procedure or treatment, death, diagnostic error, fracture, other, readmission.
GTT, Global Trigger Tool; HMPS, Harvard Medical Practice Study; TT, Trigger Tool.