Table 3 Severity, outcomes and referrals of healthcare complaints related to intensive care units and the general wards
Variable | Number of problems, ICUs (n = 441) | Number of problems, general wards (n = 818) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
Severity | |||
 Low | 228 (51.7%) | 510 (62.3%) | < 0.001 |
 Medium | 183 (41.5%) | 248 (30.3%) |  |
 High | 30 (6.8%) | 60 (7.3%) |  |
Stage of care | |||
 Admission | 8 (1.8%) | 74 (9.0%) | < 0.001 |
 Examination and diagnosis | 7 (1.6%) | 51 (6.2%) |  |
 Care on the ward | 267 (60.5%) | 443 (54.2%) |  |
 Operation and procedure | 17 (3.9%) | 54 (6.6%) |  |
 Discharge | 14 (3.2%) | 49 (6.0%) |  |
 Unspecified or other | 128 (29.0%) | 147 (18.0%) |  |
Level of harm | |||
 N/A | 387 (87.8%) | 710 (86.8%) | 0.162 |
 Minimal | 13 (2.9%) | 48 (5.9%) |  |
 Minor | 19 (4.3%) | 25 (3.1%) |  |
 Moderate | 10 (2.3%) | 21 (2.6%) |  |
 Major | 4 (0.9%) | 5 (0.6%) |  |
 Catastrophic | 8 (1.8%) | 9 (1.1%) |  |
Staff group to which the complaint referred | |||
 Unspecified | 161 (36.5%) | 277 (33.9%) | < 0.001 |
 Doctor | 92 (20.9%) | 202 (24.7%) |  |
 Nurse | 124 (28.1%) | 143 (17.5%) |  |
 Other professional | 4 (0.9%) | 12 (1.5%) |  |
 Other workers | 39 (8.8%) | 112 (13.7%) |  |
 Administrative staff | 19 (4.3%) | 65 (7.9%) |  |
 Other | 2 (0.5%) | 7 (0.9%) |  |