[Detection of adverse events in patients interned in medical clinic using the Global Trigger Tool]

INTRODUCTION

The Global Trigger Tool (GTT) is a tool that accurately identifies adverse events that represent a significant problem in hospitals.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study based on retrospective review of randomized medical records using the GTT tool.

RESULTS

A total of 161 adverse events (AEs) were detected: 51 events per 100 admissions, 66 per 1000 patient-days, and 30% of admissions with AEs. The most frequent triggers were from the care module, with 25% complications associated with the use of procedures, 10% pressure ulcers, and 9% care-associated infections. The presence of AEs had a statistically significant association with a stay of more than 5 days, and a moderate association with age and number of triggers. Regarding the damage, 78% of the patients presented mild events and 4% fatal events. The ROC curves analysis showed that the triggers with the greatest area under the curve were: procedural complication (0.70), pressure ulcers (0.61) and rapid response code (0.60).

DISCUSSION

The number of events per 100 admissions was higher than that reported in the literature, but there were no differences in events per 1000 patientdays. Fatal cases were caused by respiratory infectious diseases in patients with comorbidities, nasogastric tube needs and cognitive decline. The study highlights the scarce use of the tool in public hospitals and the implementation of trigger analysis with ROC curves. Knowing the frequency and the most frequent type of event will allow the implementation of measures that improve patient safety.