OBJECTIVES: To establish the factors that determine the cost of adverse events in intensive care units of two university hospitals in Bogota, Colombia.

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted where the study population was the patients in which adverse events were reported in the intensive care unit of the Hospital Universitario Nacional and the Clínica Universitaria Colombia, the time horizon comprises the years 2019 to 2022; where through a multiple linear regression model the factors associated with the cost of adverse events were determined.

RESULTS: A total of 369 patients were included with a median age of 63 years, 232 men (62.9%) and 137 women (37.1%); The Apache median was 13 points, and the Charlson comorbidity index median was 5. For adverse events, 252 (68.29%) were reported passively, 223 (60.43%) were preventable, and 267 events (72.36%) were not serious. The events had a median cost of 549,671 COP per patient and the variables related to a higher cost were: general hospital stay, stay until the event, charlson Comorbidity Index, reporting system, severity, general stay until the event, musculoskeletal Diagnostic Related Group, events related to safe care, pharmacovigilance and technovigilance

CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to establish the factors of the patients, adverse events and care that determine the cost of adverse events in the intensive care units of hospitals and university clinics in Bogotá; finding that the general hospital stay, the Charlson index, the reporting system and severity are positively related to costs. The factors that were found to be associated with a lower cost are the stay until the event, admission diagnosis related to the musculoskeletal system or presenting an event related to safe care, pharmacovigilance or technovigilance.