Analysis predicts costs of adverse patient safety events

Editor's Note

A Frost & Sullivan analysis shows adverse patient safety events will cost the US and western Europe $383.7 billion by 2022, the February 26 Becker’s Clinical Leadership & Infection Control reports.

These adverse events will lead to an estimated 91.8 million patient hospital admissions and about 1.95 million deaths.

Among the 30 most pressing patient safety adverse events the analysis identifies are:

• healthcare-associated infections (eg, CAUTIs, vascular catheter infections, incisional/organ space SSIs)
• wrong patient/site/indication
• pressure ulcers
• foreign object post surgery
• medication/gas/oxygen misuse
• EHR, EMR records safety.

Up to 17% of hospitalizations are affected by one or more adverse events, and about 15% of hospital expenditures are used to address them, the report says.

Adverse patient safety events in the U.S. and western Europe will drive an estimated healthcare cost burden of $383.7 billion by 2022, Frost & Sullivan finds. Here are four things to know. 1. The analysis, Patient Safety in Healthcare, Forecast to 2022 , assesses the 30 most pressing adverse events affecting patients, caregivers and healthcare organizations worldwide.

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