How safe are our paediatric emergency departments? Protocol for a national prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Adverse events (AEs), defined as unintended patient harm related to healthcare provided rather than an underlying medical condition, represent a significant threat to patient safety and public health. The emergency department (ED) is a high-risk patient safety setting for many reasons including presentation 'outside of regular hours', high patient volumes, and a chaotic work environment. Children have also been identified as particularly vulnerable to AEs. Despite the identification of the ED as a high-risk setting and the vulnerability of the paediatric population, little research has been conducted regarding paediatric patient safety in the ED. The study objective is to generate an estimate of the risk and type of AEs, as well as their preventability and severity, fo

SUBMITTER: Plint AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4256537 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature