State Issues Annual Medical Errors Report

Last updated on Wednesday, October 21, 2015

(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indiana State Department of Health today released the 2014 Indiana Medical Error Reporting System annual report, which showed that pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, were the most reported adverse event.

The annual report is based on the National Quality Forum's reporting standards for 28 Serious Adverse Events. A total of 287 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, abortion clinics and birthing centers were surveyed.

"All Hoosiers deserve to receive quality care, and reducing medical errors is a key step toward achieving that goal," said State Health Commissioner Jerome Adams, M.D., M.P.H. "The Medical Errors Report helps us assess how we're doing and identify opportunities to improve patient safety."

This is the ninth report of the Indiana Medical Error Reporting System. A total of 114 incidents were reported in 2014. In 2013, 111 incidents were reported. All of the 2014 incidents occurred in hospitals or ambulatory surgery centers.

The most reported incidents in 2014 were:

44 stage three or four pressure ulcers acquired after admission to the hospital
27 incidents of a foreign object retained in a patient after surgery
21 surgeries performed on the wrong body part
10 falls resulting in a death or serious disability

In 2006, Indiana became the second state to adopt the National Quality Forum's reporting standards. The reporting standards are not intended as a comprehensive study of medical errors, but rather as a broad overview of health care issues. Prevention of medical errors generally requires a system-based approach. By focusing on a few fundamental prevention activities and an organized prevention system, errors can be prevented.

The 2014 Medical Error Reporting System report is available on the Indiana State Department of Health website at http://www.in.gov/isdh/23433.htm.

Visit the Indiana State Department of Health at www.StateHealth.in.gov for important health and safety information, or follow us on Twitter at @StateHealthIN and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/isdh1.

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