Up to 8,000 die in Irish hospitals due to 'adverse events'

It is estimated that as many as 8,000 people died here in 2008 as a result of an 'adverse event' in an Irish hospital.

The Clinical Negligence and Access to Justice conference this week was told that, based on extrapolating international figures to Ireland, we could have 160,000 adverse events in Irish hospitals per year, causing up to 8,000 deaths.

Adverse events may be preventable or non-preventable.

The World Health Organisation has defined an adverse event as "an injury related to medical management, in contrast to complications of disease. Medical management includes all aspects of care, including diagnosis and treatment, failure to diagnose or treat, and the systems and equipment

used to deliver care."

Campaigners at the conference today will call for improved access to justice for those affected by clinical or medical negligence.

They want all organisations that provide healthcare to be open and honest when harm is caused.