Adverse events in critically ill patients: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of adverse events and the critically ill patient’s need for care in an intensive care unit. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study, carried out from January to March 2020. The adverse events investigated were pressure injury, accidental orotracheal extubation, fall, loss of central venous access, and healthcare-associated infection. The number of hours required for patient care was measured by the Nursing Activities Score. The categorical independent variables were described by absolute and relative frequencies, and the continuous ones, by central tendency. The magnitude measure was the odds ratio and a confidence interval of 95% was considered. RESULTS: of the 88 patients evaluated, 52.3% had adverse events, which were associated with a greater need for care, severity, and longer hospital stay. The mean Nursing Activities Score was 51.01% (12 h 24 min), with a deficit of 20% to 30% of nursing staff in the unit being identified. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of adverse events in the unit is high and the shortage of nursing staff in the unit revealed the need for adequate staffing to reduce the damage caused by the care provided to critically ill patients.