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Analysis of adverse events in general surgery. Multicenter study
Pedro M Ruiz-López1, Marta de la Fuente-Bartolomé2, Ana Isabel Pérez-Zapata3
1Instituto de Investigación Biomédica, I+12, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Spain.
Cirugia Espanola
|November 15, 2023
Summary
Adverse events (AE) in acute care hospitals are common in surgery, with infectious complications like surgical site infections being most frequent. Many AE are preventable, highlighting the need for improved patient safety measures.
Area of Science:
- Patient safety research
- Surgical outcomes analysis
- Healthcare epidemiology
Background:
- Adverse events (AE) are a critical patient safety concern in acute care settings.
- Surgery accounts for a significant proportion of AE, ranging from 46% to 65% of all occurrences.
- AE incidence in hospitals varies widely, between 3% and 17%.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine and analyze the incidence and characteristics of AE in general surgery services.
- To identify factors associated with the occurrence of AE in surgical patients.
Main Methods:
- An observational, descriptive, retrospective, multicenter study design was employed.
- Data were collected from 31 Spanish acute-care hospitals.
- AE in general surgery services were specifically investigated.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of AE in general surgery was found to be 31.53%.
- Infectious AE, particularly surgical site infections, were the most common type (35%).
- Factors such as higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grades, increased surgical complexity, and urgent admission were associated with higher AE rates.
Conclusions:
- Adverse events are highly prevalent in General and Gastrointestinal Surgery (GGIS) patients.
- Infectious AE, especially surgical site infections, are the leading cause of harm.
- Preventable AE constitute a significant portion (about one-third) of all events, indicating room for improvement in patient safety protocols.
