Event reporting is an important method utilized as a risk identification and reduction strategy. The process utilized at your organization may be called event reporting, incident reporting, adverse event reporting or a quality variance.
(Note: For purposes of this publication, the term event report will be used.)
We cannot fix or improve what we do not know about. Awareness creates opportunity. By reporting events, staff can keep all key stakeholders in the loop while protecting current patients and patients yet to arrive for care. Organizational leadership can immediately investigate the circumstances of the event, and if necessary, institute changes in practice and policy to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Keeping staff communication current and training updated on this topic will keep information fresh in the minds of your care team members. An open line of communication will also provide an understanding as to why your care team underreports or whether barriers to reporting exist in your organization.
Reporting events that have happened or those that might have occurred if not caught (near miss) would be essential to any organizational safety program. Tracking and trending the collected data from the events will provide the organization with a snapshot of issues and priorities that warrant process improvement measures.
We invite you to learn more and download our full guide and introduction to event reporting by filling out the form in the right hand column.
