Minnesota Report Shows Slight Increase In Hospital Errors

ST PAUL (AP) - Minnesota hospitals and surgical centers have reported that nearly 340 medical errors risked patient safety last year but medical mistakes resulting in patient death declined.

The state Department of Health's annual adverse health events report found four deaths caused by a preventable error. One was due to a medication mistake and the other three were from falls.

The events were tracked from Oct. 7, 2015, to Oct. 6, 2016. The total number of events is up from nearly 320 the previous year, the four deaths are a decrease from 16 the previous tracking year.

Adverse health events program director Rachel Jokela says the drop is a step in the right direction.