Abstract
Objectives: to estimate the extent, preventability and consequences of adverse clinical events in elderly and non-elderly patients.
Design: a two-stage structured, retrospective, patient case-note review.
Setting: a large NHS hospital in England.
Population: a random sample of 1,006 non-psychiatric patients.
Main Outcome Measures: proportion of patients with adverse events, the proportion of preventable adverse events and the types and consequences of adverse events in patients 75 and under 75years old.
Results: forty five [13.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1017] of 332patients >= 75 years and 42 (6.2%; 95% CI 48) of 674 patients < 75years had at least one adverse event. There was a significantly raised risk of experiencing an adverse event with increasing age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.03 adverse events per year of life, P < 0.001]. There was no statistically significant difference in preventability of adverse events and also in experiencing disability or death as a result of an adverse event by age after adjustment for potential confounders.
Conclusion: adverse events are significantly more common in non-psychiatric elderly inpatients than younger patients. There is little evidence that adverse events in older patients are more preventable and lead to disability or death more frequently.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 265-269 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Age and Ageing |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2008 |
Keywords
- adverse events
- case-note review
- prevention
- older people
- patient safety
- MEDICAL ERRORS
- PATIENT SAFETY
- POPULATION
- DEATHS
- CARE