Not all patient adverse events recorded by hospitals

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that there may be a "disconnect" between patients and hospitals when it comes to reporting adverse events that occur during hospitalization.

In a study of 998 recently hospitalized adults, interviews conducted months after hospitalization identified 21 serious and preventable events that were not documented in the medical record.

"Hospitals should consider monitoring patient safety by adding questions about adverse events to post-discharge interviews," Dr. Joel S. Weissman, from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services in Boston, and colleagues conclude.

The study, which is reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine, involved a random survey of patients discharged from Massachusetts hospitals from April 1 to October 1, 2003. The interviews took place 6 to 12 months after discharge.

Overall, 23 percent of subjects had at least one adverse event identified during the post-discharge interview. A review of the hospital records, by contrast, documented an adverse event for only 11 percent of patients.

Statistical analysis confirmed the poor agreement between the medical record and post-discharge interview in identifying adverse events in general. A slightly better agreement was seen for the detection of serious or life-threatening events.

SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, July 2008.