Associations between patient factors and adverse events in the home care setting: a secondary data analysis of two Canadian adverse event studies.

Adverse events occur frequently in the home care setting. A previous study estimated that about 10% of patients receiving home care experienced an adverse event, and research suggests that a significant proportion of these may be preventable. Early identification of patients at increased risk for harm in the home care setting may help inform hospital discharge planning and improve patient safety. Analyzing data from two prior Canadian home care patient safety studies, researchers found that both increased dependency for instrumental activities of daily living and a higher number of comorbid medical conditions placed patients at greater risk for adverse events. A past PSNet perspective discussed safety issues associated with care transitions after hospital discharge.