Incident

The term incident is generally accepted to mean any happening not consistent with the routine operation of the facility or the routine care of a particular patient. Subsequent to an incident, an incident report may be generated. The report is a tool that was borrowed from the insurance industry and made part of hospital management operations. It has been most effective in identifying trends relating to occurrences and outcomes such as patient falls, medication problems, and equipment failures. It has also been a useful tool in the reporting and follow-up of employee injuries for workers’compensation purposes. The reluctance to actively use such a system stems from the incorrect assumption that such reports indicate negligence rather than serve as a mechanism for loss prevention.