Hospitals and surgery centers reported 384 adverse events in 2018, the highest number since the state began mandating reporting in 2003, according to an annual report by the Minnesota Department of Health.
Five things to know:
1. Facilities reported 118 serious injuries and 11 deaths from Oct. 7, 2017 to Oct. 6, 2018.
2. Five of the 11 deaths involved falls, three involved a newborn, two involved medication errors and one was a suicide.
3. Falls and bedsores remained the most commonly reported types of events, comprising 58 percent of all events reported.
4. The increase in events reported in 2018 was driven by an increase in pressure ulcers, retained foreign objects and the loss or damage of irreplaceable biological specimens.
5. In 2018, hospitals and surgery centers had an "intense focus on preventing wrong-site procedures," the report stated. One-third of retained objects were broken items such as device tips and broken wires.
