Patients' reports of adverse events: a data linkage study of Australian adults aged 45 years and over

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Understanding a patient's hospital experience is fundamental to improving health services and policy, yet, little is known about their experiences of adverse events (AEs). This study redresses this deficit by investigating the experiences of patients in New South Wales hospitals who suffered an AE. METHODS: Data linkage was used to identify a random sample of 20 000 participants in the 45 and Up Cohort Study, out of 267 153 adults aged 45 years and over, who had been hospitalised in the prior 6 months. A cross-sectional survey was administered to these patients to capture their experiences, including whether they had an AE and received honest communication about it. RESULTS: Of t..