Study
Published January 2003

The incidence and severity of adverse events affecting patients after discharge from the hospital.

Classic

Forster AJ, Murff HJ, Peterson JF, Gandhi TK, Bates DW. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:161-167.

Topics
Resource Type
- Journal Article
  - › Study
Approach to Improving Safety
- Quality Improvement Strategies
Safety Target
- Medication Errors/Preventable Adverse Drug Events
- Medical Complications
Setting of Care
- Hospitals
Target Audience
- Physicians
- Nurses
Error Types
- Epidemiology of Errors and Adverse Events
Origin/Sponsor
- Canada

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Copy Citation:

Forster AJ ; Murff HJ ; Peterson JF; et al. The incidence and severity of adverse events affecting patients after discharge from the hospital. Ann Intern Med. 2003; 138: 161-167

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This article explains a prospective study at an academic hospital studying adverse events in 400 consecutive patients after discharge from a medical service. The authors describe the incidence, severity, and preventability of reported events along with specific examples captured during the study. They discuss strategies to improve patient safety by emphasizing the vulnerability of the discharge transition from hospital to home. The study identifies an important target for future interventions by suggesting improvement in the coordination and follow-up of care immediately after hospital discharge.

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