Hospital adverse events drop sharply pre-COVID, study finds

Rates of hospital adverse events for health care-related patient harm dropped significantly in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019, according to a major study. Adverse events fell 41% for heart attack and surgery patients, 36% for pneumonia patients, 27% for heart failure patients and 18% for patients with all other conditions. Supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), researchers reviewed records of nearly 245,000 patients in more than 3,100 hospitals from 2010 to 2019. “These study results indicate that we know how to improve patient safety by working together and that we can sustain these results over time,” said AHRQ Director Robert Otto Valdez, PhD. “The pandemic has undoubtedly put those successes at risk, but this study should provide motivation for health care officials to rebuild and rededicate ourselves to a patient and provider safety doctrine.” In fact, a study released this week found that drug-resistant infections increased during the pandemic. (JAMA article, 7/12/22)