Adverse events in critical care: Search and active detection through the Trigger Tool

To investigate the incidence of disadvantageous events by using the Global Trigger Tool in an intensive care unit (ICU).

A retrospective descriptive study was performed in a 12-bed university ICU in the city of Medellin, Colombia. Clinical charts of hospitalized patients were reviewed, between January 1 and December 31, 2016, with the following inclusion criteria: subjects aged over 18 years, with at least 24 h of hospitalization and who had a complete medical history that could be accessed. Interventions: Trained reviewers conducted a retrospective examination of medical charts searching for clue events that elicit investigation, in order to detect an unfavorable event. Measurements: Information was processed through SPSS software version 21; for numerical variables, the mean was reported with standard deviation (SD). Percentages were calculated for qualitative variables.

Two hundred and forty-four triggers occurred, with 82.4% of subjects having presented with at least one and an average of 3.37 (SD 3.47). A total of 178 adverse events (AEs) took place in 48 individuals, with an incidence of 52.1%. On average, four events per patient were recorded, and for each unfortunate event, 1.98 triggers were presented. The most frequent displeasing issues were: pressure ulcers (17.6%), followed by complications or reactions to medical devices (4.3%), and lacerations or skin defects (3.7%); the least frequent was delayed diagnosis or treatment (0.56%). Thirty-eight point four percent of mishap events caused temporary damage that required intervention, and 48.9% of AEs were preventable. Comparison between AEs and admission diagnoses found that hypertension and sepsis were the only diagnoses that had statistical significance (P = 0.042 and 0.022, respectively).

Almost half of the unfavorable issues were classified as avoidable, which leaves a very wide field of work in terms of preventative activities.