Enhancing Patient Safety in Spain: Streamlining Adverse Event Detection in Occupational Healthcare Records

• Main Authors: Moya, Diego, Manzanera, Rafael, Ortner, Jordi, Torres, Marta, Serfaty, Joan Carles, Sauri, Carme, Jimenez, Ma. Lourdes D, Mira, Jose Joaquin
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2024
• Subjects: adverse events; ambulatory care; diagnostic delay; medication; occupational health; patient safety; postoperative; safety culture; trigger tool; triggers; Medicine and Health Sciences; Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/asmph-pubs/150; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/asmph-pubs/article/1154/viewcontent/safety_10_00013_with_cover.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Background Given the lack of previous studies on adverse events (AEs) in the area of occupational healthcare in Spain, it is very important to begin to understand this phenomenon in order to act on it. The objective was to accurately quantify AE occurring in occupational healthcare in MC Mutual during May 2021. Methods We conducted a review of a representative random sample of 250 clinical records to identify AEs through an active search audit, focused on the frequency, type, severity, and preventability of these events, categorized using standardized scales. Results We detected seven AEs in the sample of clinical records, representing 3% AEs per clinical record, while in the APEAS Spanish Study, they were detected in 10% of patients. The most frequent AE type was postoperative, followed by medication and diagnostic delay. The AEs were of intermediate severity and high severity and with a variable degree of being preventable. Conclusions The detection of AEs has been useful in the development of projects and action plans such as specific training courses, safety patient newsletters, ambulatory risk maps, and treatment plans framed in the official certification of patient safety. These results should be evaluated in other companies similar to MC Mutual.