Review of national estimates of deaths related to hospital inpatient adverse events
 
Noel Eldridge, MS, begins his presentation by reviewing historical and recent estimates of deaths caused by hospital inpatient adverse events in the United States. He references the influential Institute of Medicine report, which estimated 44,000 to 98,000 annual deaths due to medical mistakes, and notes that many subsequent studies have produced widely varying figures—from 25,000 to 440,000 deaths, and that many estimates are not well-founded. Eldridge highlights the complexity in determining causality: not all adverse events that precede a death cause or even contribute to the death. Another issue is that studies frequently extrapolate small samples to national levels. He discusses efforts at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and other federal organizations to reduce hospital-acquired conditions and estimate preventable deaths, emphasizing the high degree of correlation between adverse events and inpatient deaths that was seen in AHRQ data published in JAMA in 2022, but emphasizing the challenge of distinguishing correlation from causation. Eldridge stresses the importance of accurate measurement, transparency, and continued work toward improved national estimates and patient safety. Health Watch USA^sm meeting April 15, 2026.
  

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