The Indiana State Department of Health released earlier this month the 2013 Indiana Medical Error Reporting System annual report. Reports of stage three or four pressure ulcers acquired after admission increased from 30 in 2012 to 45 in 2013. Pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, have been the most reported incident seven of the eight years the report has been compiled and average approximately 32 incidents a year.

According to Joy Lohse, director of marketing and public relations for Kosciusko Community Hospital (KCH) in Warsaw, KCH has reported no medical errors in 2013.

The annual report is based on the National Quality Forum’s 28 Serious Adverse Events. A total of 293 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, abortion clinics, and birthing centers were surveyed.

A total of 111 incidents were reported in 2013. The most reported incidents in 2013 were:

• 45 stage three or four pressure ulcers acquired after admission to the hospital
• 27 incidents of a foreign object retained in a patient after surgery
• 18 surgeries performed on the wrong body part
• 12 falls resulting in a death or serious disability

Source: Indiana State Department of Health, Inside INdiana Business