Time to listen: a review of the methods to solicit patient reports of adverse events

As patient participation is a relatively new addition to patient safety reporting systems, the techniques that are most successful and efficient are not yet known.

The journal Quality & Safety in Heath Care has published this literature review on reporting systems used by patients: populations, contact methods, verification, reporting, incentives, incident rates and reporting terminology.

Two databases were searched: PubMed and MEDLINE (English publications only), obtaining finally 17 publications for review. Of these publications, four focused on Primary Care (PC), and one included both primary and hospital care.

PC patient reporting studies used a combination of methods to collect patient reports: telephone recruitment with a follow up in-person interview, patient’s choice of reporting method (online, written or telephone reporting) and telephone survey. The terminology used to ask the patient about the events has also been variable.

Adverse events were corroborated only in three publications, none of PC. The incidence of nosocomial infections, pressure ulcers and drug-related events reported by patients was shown to be comparable to rates documented by healthcare providers in hospitals and to rates reported in patient safety literature.

The incidence rate for adverse events across settings and populations varied considerably, ranging from less than 0.1 to 5.8 per patient. The results are not comparable. The same happens with the classification of reports.

Thus, the variability found among the publications reviewed is extensive in terms of healthcare settings, method of reporting, time span, terminology, criteria for assessment and response rates, which makes establishing definitive conclusions impossible. It seems that higher response rates are achieved with open questions and solicitation techniques based exclusively on personal experiences by interview. Further research is required to determine the optimal language, method, format and tool for patient reporting. The utility of the incentives should also be studied.

In short, the participation of patients in reporting adverse events is a very interesting field, which represents a valuable new perspective to improve their security, but is soon to offer final conclusions. Further research is required to reach its implementation and to achieve its potential benefits.


A King, J Daniels, J Lim, et al. Time to listen: a review of Methods to request patient reports of adverse events. Qual Saf Health Care 2010 19: 148-157


Posted by Marisa Torijano
English version by Erika Céspedes