Supply Chain-Related Adverse Events and Patient Safety in Healthcare

2. Literature Review

Adverse event statistics reveal increasing numbers over the years. Jenkins (2005) analyzes hospitalizations in the state of New York and reports that 3.7 percent of patients experience adverse events and 27.6 percent of cases involve negligence. The same study indicates that over 70 percent of adverse events cause disability lasting less than 6 months, 2.6 percent result in permanent disability, and 13.6 percent result in death. Thomas et al. (2000) estimates the incidence and types of adverse events in Utah and Colorado and reports similar results. The study finds that 2.9 percent of hospital patients experience adverse events and 6.6 percent of cases cause death. In Utah, 32.6 percent of adverse events are due to negligence whereas in Colorado it is 27.4 percent. Figure 1 illustrates the number of adverse event reports received by FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) over the years (FDA, 2014a).