The Indiana State Department of Health released the annual report of the Indiana Medical Error Reporting System (MERS), which includes reported events for calendar year 2009. . Overall, 306 facilities reported 94 preventable medical errors in 2009, a decrease from 105 errors reported each year in 2008 and 2007.
The initiative, which began in June 2008 and runs through September, focuses on improving hospitals’ systems for assessing risk factors for patients developing bed sores.
The department’s Indiana Medical Error Reporting System is based on 28 serious reportable errors as defined by the National Quality Forum. Reportable errors include medication mix-ups, surgery on the wrong body part, and death or serious injury from a fall.
