Medical errors in hospitals go undetected, study suggests

A recent study suggests medical errors in hospitals go largely undetected.

A team of researchers affiliated with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a think tank in Cambridge, Mass., have reported that the number of "adverse events" in hospitals -- injuries caused by medical error rather than patients' underlying conditions -- might be 10 times greater than previously measured.

The team used a new method called the Global Trigger Tool to detect adverse events by scanning medical records for certain triggers that would indicate problems, then investigated further to see if there had been an adverse event.

The Global Trigger Tool detected adverse events in 33.2% of admissions—10 times more than other detection methods in use.

The study suggested that despite sizable investments and promotional efforts by local hospitals, the reporting systems currently in use fail to detect most adverse events.

You can read the full article at www.latimes.com.