ABSTRACT
The Norwegian healthcare system has been through substantial changes in recent decades. Prevention and follow-up of adverse events (AEs) in health and care services are among the most visible quality and safety issues on the health policy agenda. There are several sources of information for AEs in Norwegian hospitals. Death and severe patient injuries are reported to the National Board of Health Supervision. The System for Patient Injury Compensation (NPE) also provides information on AEs. Quantitative and standardized information about AEs and harm in Norwegian hospitals is available through medical record review using the Global Trigger Tool (GTT). To develop the Norwegian AE monitoring system further, medical records could be reviewed across caregiving levels, for instance, by expanding observations to include long-term care in nursing homes, in order to identify AEs that first emerge after hospital discharge. The system could also be adapted to monitor psychiatric and pediatric care, and treatment at the clinical level.
