Subsequently, about what percent of admissions had at least one preventable adverse event?

• A. 1-2%
• B. 10-12%
• C. 5-6%
• D. 7-8%

Answer: (C)

The question is about how common preventable harm is for patients admitted to a hospital. Research that carefully reviews hospital records shows that a noticeable minority of admissions involve at least one adverse event that could have been prevented. The best-supported estimate in many large safety studies is about 5-6% of admissions, meaning roughly 1 in 20 patients experiences preventable harm during a hospital stay.

This range makes sense because it sits between being too low to reflect real patient safety challenges (like 1-2%) and being so high that it would imply a much larger harm burden (like 7-12% or 7-8%). The 5-6% figure captures the commonly cited ballpark from major safety research, reflecting events such as medication errors, avoidable infections, and other care-process failures that lead to harm.