Health Quality & Safety Commission | The economics of patient safety in acute care
A study commissioned by the Canadian Patient Safety Institute has calculated that the economic burden of adverse events in Canadian acute care hospitals in 2009-10 was an estimated CAN$1.1 billion (NZ$1.28bn), including $397 million (NZ$462m) for incidents that were preventable. This does not include all the indirect costs of care after hospital discharge, or the cost to society.
The authors found that the reported attributable costs of adverse events ranged from CAN$4,028 to $12,648 (NZ$5,044 to $15,839). In general hospital populations, the cost per case of hospital-acquired infection ranged from CAN$2,265 to $22,400 (NZ$2,836 to $28,052).
The study, which provides guidance around conducting economic evaluations in patient safety, can be found at the link below.
