Adverse events in patients transitioning from the emergency department to the inpatient setting.
Patients are vulnerable to patient safety events during care transitions between inpatient settings. This study found that over 22% of patients experienced adverse events (AE) during transitions of care between the emergency department (ED) and inpatient care at 2 urban hospitals. The researchers found that most AEs were preventable and commonly involved adverse drug events and diagnostic errors. AEs were more likely to occur among patients with longer ED stays.