Adverse Events In Healthcare

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Persons admitted to nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities generally expect that the medical care they receive will improve their health, not worsen it. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. In some instances, residents are harmed as a result of their medical treatment. This is referred to as an Adverse Event.  An Adverse Event is described as harm to a patient or resident as a result of medical care, including the failure to provide care.  The term Adverse Event covers a wide range of maladies and can be used to describe anything from an abrasion to death. Healthcare providers are trained to determine if an Adverse Event was preventable or non-preventable.

In this presentation, Stacy L. Donnelly, RN, BSN defines and describes various Adverse Events, identifies the factors in determining the preventability of an Adverse Events, describes the investigative process for adverse events, and identifies key staff members and their roles in the prevention of adverse events. Ms. Donnelly will describe the continuum of care and how it applies to Adverse Events providing case examples of its applications.