21 Patients Died Due To MN Hospital Errors In 2022: Report

MINNESOTA — Twenty-one patients died and 178 were seriously injured in Minnesota hospitals in 2022 due to improper medical care, according to a report released by the state this month.

Under state law, all Minnesota hospitals and surgical centers must report whenever an "adverse health event" (AHE) occurs. Medical officials also must conduct a root cause analysis to identify the factors that led to the event.

The Minnesota Department of Health used the data to identify strategies for improving processes of care and preventing adverse health events.

"This annual report provides an overview of what the most recent year of data can teach us about the risk points for adverse health events and the best approaches for preventing them, with a focus on the most commonly reported events," the agency said.

"It is important to keep in mind that these events represent only a subset of the patient safety risks that exist across the health care system."

According to the report, six of the 21 deaths in 2022 were associated with falls, four were associated with a lack of follow-up on test results, four with the death of a neonate, three with a product or device malfunction, two with a medication error, one with a patient suicide or self-harm event and one after an elopement.

Last year's 21 deaths marked the highest number since 2004 when there are 24 adverse health event deaths recorded.

Check out the entire report here.