Table 5 Examples of preventable adverse events identified during hospitalisation.

Case no.	Clinical description	Preventability score*
1	Inhalation pneumopathy during anaesthetic induction for oesophageal diverticulum in a 48‐year‐old man	4
2	Pneumothorax in a 51‐year‐old man hospitalised for pneumonectomy (aspergillosis on tubercular sequelae) occurring during subclavian catheterisation	5
3	Stomach lesion during nephrectomy via coelioscopy, requiring subsequent open surgery in a 59‐year‐old woman	4
4	Perforation of the colon during colonoscopy in a 73‐year‐old man	4
5	Dissatisfaction expressed by a 57‐year‐old patient hospitalised for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography under general anaesthetic, which was delayed on account of a leak in the endoscope discovered once the patient had been anaesthetised	6
6	A 79‐year‐old patient dissatisfied after discharge was delayed; patient hospitalised for spontaneous haematoma of the left intracranial haemorrhage, waited 25 days for a control scan which was never actually performed. Communication problem between the admitting and radiology departments	4
7	Lumbar pain in connection with second lumbar vertebra fracture not diagnosed in emergency unit, delay in diagnosis and corset fitted in a 20‐year‐old man	4
8	A 96‐year‐old woman hospitalised for acute sigmoiditis and varicose ulcer treatment had intense systematic pain during care procedures despite preventive treatment (15 mg morphine administered subcutaneously)	4

1  =  virtually no evidence for preventability; 2  =  slight to modest evidence; 3  =  preventability not quite likely; 4  =  preventability more likely than not; 5  =  strong evidence; 6  =  virtually certain evidence.