Table 1 Characteristics of patients with and without adverse outcomes, overall patient evaluation, dissatisfaction and suggestions for improvement (Leiden University Medical Center, 1876 surgical patient admissions during 2003).
| Patients without adverse outcomes | Patients with adverse outcomes | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Only in hospital | Only after discharge | In hospital and after discharge | |||
| Number | 1218 | 193 | 364 | 101 | 1876 |
| Age at admission (years), mean (SD) | 50.8 (17.0) | 58.3 (16.7) | 53.0 (17.2) | 56.9 (15.7) | 52.3 (17.1) |
| Men (%) | 54.8 | 51.8 | 51.9 | 57.4 | 54.1 |
| ASA class III–V (%)* | 10.8 | 31.6 | 15.1 | 31.7 | 14.9 |
| Overall grade of patient evaluation, mean (SD) | 8.0 (1.3) | 8.1 (1.3) | 7.8 (1.4) | 7.7 (1.6) | 7.9 (1.3) |
| Dissatisfied (%) | 4.0 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 6.9 | 5.1 |
| Indicating need for improvement in surgical/nursing care (%) | 39.7 | 39.9 | 45.3 | 47.5 | 41.3 |
*American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) class at first operation of admission.