Patient safety incidents and adverse events reported by citizens in Brazil: descriptive study, 2014-2018

Abstract

Objective: To describe incidents reported by Brazilian citizens in the Health Surveillance Notification System. Methods: A descriptive study based on records in the Health Surveillance Notification System of the National Health Surveillance Agency, "citizen" module, between 2014-2018. Results: 935 incidents were notified, preponderantly, the patients were female (60.9%), elderly (20.1%) and white race/skin color (51.0%). The most reported incidents were related to medication use (50.8%), falls (7.5%), and healthcare-related infections (7.2%). These occurred during care, treatment or surgery (37.3%), during the daytime (58.3%) and in hospitals (37.4%). Conclusion: It was observed low adherence of citizens to the notification system. There was a higher frequency of notifications of medication-related incidents, falls, and care-related infections. It highlights the citizen's ability to recognize and report such incidents as patient safety problems.