Objectives To examine the feasibility of detecting adverse events through r
ecord review in British hospitals and to make preliminary estimates of the
incidence and costs of adverse events.
Design Retrospective review of 1014 medical and nursing records.
Setting Two acute hospitals in Greater London area. Main outcome measure Nu
mber of adverse events.
Results 110 (10.8%) patients experienced an adverse event, with an overall
rate of adverse events of 11.7% when multiple adverse events were included.
About half of these events were judged preventable with ordinary standards
of care. A third of adverse events led to moderate or greater disability o
r death,
Conclusions These results suggest that adverse events are a serious source
of harm to patients and a large drain an NHS resources, Some are major even
ts; others are frequent, minor events that go unnoticed in routine clinical
care but together have massive economic consequences.