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Study: ICU patients at greater risk for adverse events

Quality Improvement Monitor, August 11, 2005

Critical-care patients face a serious risk for adverse events, according to a study published in the August <i>Critical Care Medicine</i>.

Researchers sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that more than 20 percent of the patients admitted to two intensive care units (ICUs) at an academic hospital, a medical intensive care unit and a coronary critical care unit experienced an adverse event. The most common event resulted from giving a patient the wrong dose of medication, the study found.

ICU patients are the sickest hospital patients, so they tend to be more susceptible and vulnerable to errors, researchers said. Lead study author Jeffrey M. Rothschild, MD, MPH, hopes the results will stimulate the adoption of better communication, handwashing techniques, and healthcare information technology.

The researchers conducted direct continuous observations in the ICUs during nine three-week periods from July 2002 through June 2003. Other research methods included confidential incident reporting, a computerized adverse drug event detection monitor, and chart reviews.

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