THE PORTRAIT ADVERSE EVENTS IN A MEDICAL CLINIC: ANALYSIS OF A DECADE

Abstract

This was a cross-sectional descriptive observational study aimed at analyzing adverse events in a medical clinic unit of a hospital in Goiás. Data were collected from the reading of 12 nursing registry books completed from January 2005 to December 2014. The analysis found 1,360 adverse events, of which 408 (30%) referred to accidental removal of probes, catheters, and cannulas; 288 (21.2%) to medication errors; 157 (11.5%) to errors involving vascular access; 134 (9.8%) to cases of healthcare-associated infections; 115 (8.4%) to allergic processes; 91 (6.7%) to patient falls; 72 (5.3%) to pressure ulcers; 56 (4.1%) to episodes of lack of blood derivatives; and 39 (2.9%) to evasions. The study shows an increase in the registry of adverse events over the decade, pointing out the need to adopt preventive measures and raising nursing personnel’s awareness about the importance of reporting these incidents.

Keywords

• Nursing care
• Medical errors
• Risk management
• Accident prevention
• Patient safety