BMJ  2008;336:852 (19 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39549.618426.DB

News

More than 10% of hospital deaths could be avoided, conference is told

Henry Creagh

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Ten per cent of deaths in hospitals may be caused by deficient care, delegates at a London conference were told last week.

This estimate comes from the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, which has been running a project implementing a range of safety measures in certain hospitals. The project has resulted in a 10% reduction in the number of deaths.

The institute identified certain causes of death that could be tackled. They ranged from incorrect administration of drugs and faulty surgical procedures to postoperative deep vein thrombosis and hospital acquired infections. It identified opiates and warfarin as drugs carrying a high risk of maladministration.

The conference chairman, Hugh Rogers, a senior associate at the institute, said that if the project’s changes were put into practice across England they would save 10 000 lives a year.

Mr Rogers told the conference, which was organised by the private events company Healthcare . . . [Full text of this article]


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