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FREQUENCY OF MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE IN THE HOSPITAL.

The threat of a malpractice action and the rising costs of malpractice insurance premiums loom over the head of every practicing physician. In a landmark study, an interdisciplinary team from Harvard reviewed the medical records of more than 30,000 hospitalizations in New York State in 1984. The findings are sobering.

Adverse events occurred in 3.7 percent of the hospitalizations, and 28 percent of these were deemed to be due to medical negligence. Drug complications were the most frequent adverse events, occurring in 0.7 percent of all hospitalizations; 18 percent of these were secondary to negligence. Injuries that were secondary to improper or delayed diagnosis occurred in 0.3 percent of hospitalizations; 75 percent of these were due to negligence. The occurrence of adverse events due to negligence was markedly more frequent among the elderly, a finding not explained by differences in the severity of illness. The authors estimate that among the 2.7 million hospitalizations in New York in 1984, adverse events occurred in nearly 99,000 hospitalizations, and 14 percent of these led to death.

Further analyses of these data may help identify methods for reducing both negligent and nonnegligent adverse events.

— ALK

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine February 8, 1991

Citation(s):

Leape LL et al. The nature of adverse events in hospitalized patients -- results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study II. N Engl J Med 1991 Feb 7 324 377-384.

• Medline abstract (Free)

Brennan TA et al. Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients -- results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study I. N Engl J Med 1991 Feb 7 324 370-376.

• Medline abstract (Free)