Reportable Events
No definition of a reportable occurrence will cover all circumstances, and it is often the severity of an injury, rather than the actual quality of care, that gives rise to malpractice claims. Consequently, unanticipated outcomes and events arising from medical or surgical care should be reported.
These are examples of reportable events:
- Death
- Brain damage (permanent or temporary)
- Spinal damage (paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia)
- Surgical procedure on the wrong patient
- Attempted wrong site surgery, to include prepping the wrong site (near miss)
- Wrong site or wrong procedure surgery
- Any condition that requires transfer to a higher level of care within or outside the facility
- Retained foreign body, irrespective of intent
- Procedures to remove unplanned retained foreign objects
- Surgical repair of injuries or damage from planned surgical procedure where the damage is not a recognized specific risk disclosed to patient and documented through informed consent process
- Total or partial loss of limb, or loss of use of a limb
- Sensory organ or reproductive organ impairment
- Disability or disfigurement
- Any birth to a term baby that is stillborn or expires shortly after delivery
- Injury/death to either mother or child during delivery
- Delayed or misdiagnosis of a patient’s condition resulting in increased morbidity
- Injury to any part of the anatomy not undergoing treatment
- Any assertion by a patient that he/she has been medically injured or threats of litigation
- Allegations of rape or sexual abuse/misconduct
- Patient/family assertion that no consent was obtained for treatment (medical or surgical)
- Any condition requiring specialized medical attention resulting from non-emergency medical intervention (other than an emergency medical condition) to which the patient has not given informed consent
- Infant abduction or discharge of an infant to the wrong parents
- Any other unexpected or adverse outcome or an event where established policy/procedure was not followed
- Any other conditions that you feel may result in a claim
It is also important to report “near miss” situations. These are occurrences that do not result in injury but have the potential to cause patient injury.
When reporting, the best guideline to follow is that of sound professional judgment, sustained by the ever-present awareness of the possibility of a claim. The standard practice should be: WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS REPORT.