Indicator	Adverse Events/Error R ate
Description	Common ICU errors are related to treatment, procedure, ordering or carrying out medication orders, reporting or communication, and failures to take precautions or follow protocols.
Rationality	Critically ill patients are at high risk for complications due to the severity of medical conditions, complexity of treatment, poly pharmacy and technology based interventions. Nearly all ICU patients suffer from potentially harmful events. Nearly half (45%) of the adverse events are preventable.
Formula for calculation	Adverse events/ error rate = (no. of error /no. of bed days) × 1000
Patient population	All ICU patients
Source of data	Medical record
Type of parameter	Safety (patient)
Bench mark[1]	The rates per 1000 patient-days for all adverse events, preventable adverse events, and serious errors were 80.5, 36.2, and 149.7, respectively. Among adverse events, 13% (16/120) were life-threatening or fatal; and among serious errors, 11% (24/223) were potentially life-threatening.
References	Rothschild JM, Landrigan CP, Cronin JW, Kaushal R, Lockley SW, Burdick E, et al. The Critical Care Safety Study: The incidence and nature of adverse events and serious medical errors in intensive care. Crit Care Med 2005;33:1694–700.