• Cristina Helena Costanti Settervall, Cristiane de Alencar Domingues, Regina Marcia Cardoso de Sousa, and Lilia de Souza Nogueira.
• Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil. settervall@usp.br
• Rev Saude Publica. 2012 Apr 1;46(2):367-75.

ObjectiveTo describe methods of estimation and assess preventable deaths and types of errors related to health care.MethodsA systematic review of articles on preventable trauma deaths published between 2000 and 2009 was conducted. Lilacs, SciELO and Medline databases were searched using the keywords "trauma," "avoidable," "preventable," "interventions" and "complications" and the health sciences descriptors "death," "cause of death," and "hospitals."ResultsA total of 29 articles published during the study period were selected. Most were retrospective studies (96.5%). The most common methods used to define avoidability of death were expert panel and injury severity scores. Deaths were categorized as follows: preventable; potentially preventable; and not preventable. The mean preventable death rate was 10.7% (SD 11.5%). The most commonly reported errors were inadequate care management of injured patients and evaluation and treatment errors.ConclusionsInconsistent terms were used to categorize deaths and related noncompliances. It is suggested to standardize the terminology for the classification of deaths and types of errors.

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