The Economic and Social Burden of Adverse Events Across the Healthcare System

The field of health economics is increasingly focused on the multifaceted consequences of adverse events within healthcare systems. Traditionally, research in this area has centered on hospital settings, overlooking the broader impact realized across the continuum of care, including primary care, outpatient services, long-term care, community health environments, and transitions between these sectors. Adverse events not only impose significant direct medical costs but also contribute to substantial indirect expenditures, such as lost productivity, long-term disability, and broader societal burdens. A growing body of evidence points to the magnitude and complexity of these burdens, yet current knowledge is fragmented, with notable gaps in understanding the full system-wide and societal implications. Recent studies have improved our ability to measure direct health system costs and incentivize patient safety; however, comprehensive data quantifying societal, economic, and equity impacts remain scarce. Methodological heterogeneity and inconsistent reporting standards further hinder cross-setting and cross-jurisdictional comparisons.This Research Topic aims to elucidate the total economic and social burden of adverse events across the entire healthcare landscape. It seeks to advance knowledge on the scale, distribution, and system-level consequences of preventable harm, while exploring the macroeconomic, financial, and societal implications. The goal is to critically examine direct and indirect costs, methods for economic evaluation, and emerging interventions to mitigate the burden, while fostering debate around health system efficiency, equity, and the sustainability of care delivery models. We welcome work that brings theoretical innovation, robust empirical analyses, and cross-setting perspectives to address key unanswered questions.To gather further insights into the economic and social consequences of adverse events beyond the hospital setting, we invite contributions that span all areas of the healthcare system, with a focus on methodological rigor and policy relevance. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:Cost-of-illness and system-level expenditure analyses across diverse care settingsEconomic evaluation of patient safety and harm-reduction interventionsMacroeconomic and health-system-level implications of preventable adverse eventsFinancial sustainability and efficiency impacts resulting from harm across the care continuumSocial burden, including DALYs, productivity loss, caregiver impact, and inequities stemming from adverse eventsMethodological advances and standardization in measuring the economic and social impact of harm Topic editors: Kelly Estrada-Orozco, Jafet Arrieta, Facundo Ariel Jorro Barón Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80741/the-economic-and-social-burden-of-adverse-events-across-the-healthcare-system