title: [Incidence and preventability of adverse events in patients hospitalised in three Colombian hospitals during 2006].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determining adverse event (AE) incidence, preventability, classification and impact for establishing their importance as a public health problem within the Colombian Social Security System.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a study of a prospective inpatient cohort from three Colombian general-practice institutions.
  
  
  METHODS
  at least 12 hours' length of hospital stay during 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  suffering psychiatric disorders and AE which had occurred before hospitalisation indexing. The sample consisted of 6 557 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  clinical charts. Being a three-phase design, the first phase consisted of translating and standardising screening and causation formats, phase II of actively monitoring screening criteria and phase III of evaluating causation regarding the care being provided, based on specialist committee concept on a 0-6 scale. The variables measured were age, gender, social security affiliation, cumulative AE incidence, temporality, preventability of AE and disability resulting from them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  6,688 patients were evaluated; 505 of them fulfilled positive screening criteria (95 % CI=7,9;7,3-8,6), 310 presented at least one AE during their hospitalisation (95 %CI for accumulated incidence=4,6; 4,1-5,1). AE were considered to have been preventable in 189 cases (95 % CI=61;55-66) and permanent disability occurred in 1,3 % of them. AE-associated mortality was 6,4 % (20/310). Hospitalisation became increased to 1 072 days as a direct consequence of AE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study revealed an important incidence of AE in three Colombian hospitals, these being mainly preventable. Their ongoing monitoring as a part of risk management systems could reduce costs and AE-associated morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. hggaitand@unal.edu.co
authors.forename: Hernando
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gaitán-Duarte
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eslava-Schmalbach
authors.forename: Nelcy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Malagon
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Forero-Supelano
authors.forename: Dagoberto
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Santofimio-Sierra
authors.forename: Hernando
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Altahona
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003105:Colombia; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012308:Risk Management; D017751:Safety Management; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012943:Social Security; D013997:Time Factors