What are the odds an adverse event will happen to me?
These events are very, very rare. There are over 2 million visits to hospitals or surgical centers each year. In the last year, about 300 events were reported, and many of them caused no harm to the patient. So the odds of an adverse event happening to you are very small. Even though the odds of something happening to you are very small, this is still a very important issue to know about. You should think about this information when you or a loved one are seeking healthcare. Adverse events shouldn’t happen, and if they happen to you or someone you love, it can be very upsetting. Patients and family members need to ask questions about their care, and about what their providers are doing to keep them safe. You can use this information to help you think of those questions.
