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Researchers prospectively assessed frequency and types of adverse events among 503 consecutive high-acuity patients (50% women; age range, 18–98) who were evaluated in two Canadian emergency departments (EDs) during a 4-month period. Patients who were critically ill, in severe distress, or cognitively impaired were excluded. Researchers screened charts to identify predefined outcomes (e.g., unscheduled ED visit, hospital-acquired infection, death) that occurred within 2 weeks after the initial ED visit, and deemed whether the flagged outcomes were adverse events associated with ED care and whether the adverse events were preventable (caused by “a health care management problem”).
Overall, 107 patients (21%) had flagged outcomes and 43 (9%) h…