Global Trigger Tool in Norway 2012. Assembled results from the Health
Structured summary
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Key message
This report presents the third national medical record review conducted according to the procedure Global Trigger Tool (GTT), in Norway. The review is coordinated by the national patient safety campaign “In safe hands”. The campaign has since January 2011 prepared and coordinated clinical and organizational measures designed to reduce the extent of the adverse events in all public hospitals in the country. All 19 public health care trusts, and five private hospitals have participated. A total of 47 teams have reviewed 11 728 patient records, randomly selected from the hospitals’patients in the period January 1st to December 31st.
Although the records have been reviewed according to the same manual and the teams have the same training, the results may be biased regarding variation in how GTT teams may have practiced the GTT definition of harm differently in the record reviews that they have conducted. Since this practice also can change over time, within a team, we cannot be certain that changes we might see in estimates from one year to the next are valid.
1. The survey estimates that at 14% of all somatic hospital admissions in Norway in 2012, patients experienced at least one incident of harm that required intervention, prolonged hospital stay, led to permanent harm or contributed to patient death (categories E-I). Estimates for 2011 and 2010 were 16 %.
2. Adverse drug events, post-operative wound infections, urinary tract infections, lower respiratory tract infections, and other infections, are still the most common adverse events. These types of adverse events correspond well with the target areas of the national patient safety campaign.
3. The survey estimates that at 8 % of all somatic hospital admissions in Norway in 2012,patients experienced at least one harmful incident that led to prolonged hospitalization or more serious consequences (categories F -I) in 2012.Estimates were 9 percent for 2011 and 2010.
4. The survey estimates that at 1.7% of all somatic hospital admissions in Norway in 2012, patients experienced iatrogenic urinary tract infections. Estimate for 2011 were 2,8 %.
5. The survey estimates that at 0.7% of all somatic hospital admissions in Norway in 2012 patients experienced reoperation as an adverse event in 2012. Estimates were 1.2% in 2010 and 1.3% in 2011.