Project Summary

Gail L. Daumit, M.D., M.H.S. (Young Investigator 2005) of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, plans to quantify the prevalence of medical errors and adverse events that people with mental illness experience when they are treated for non-psychiatric conditions in U.S. hospitals. Dr. Daumit suggests that patients with mental illness may be at greater risk for adverse events during medical and surgical hospitalizations than the general population, but little data has been collected about the potential problem. Preliminary data, however, from Dr. Daumit’s current NARSAD study reveals that many deaths for persons with severe mental illness occur during hospitalizations for non-psychiatric problems. The new study will use data from a representative sample of several million U.S. hospital discharges to calculate national estimates on the frequency and types of adverse events in medical and surgical hospitalizations for persons with severe mental illness. Dr. Daumit will perform analyses to describe the risk of adverse events for persons with severe mental illness and patient and hospital characteristics related to this risk. Results could lead to interventions to improve patient the safety and quality of inpatient somatic care for persons with severe mental illness.

Program Area: OTHER\General-Mental Illness

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