Hospital Transparency: Incident Reports
In almost every industry, there is some type of protocol or procedure that documents workplace safety guidelines and in the event those guidelines are jeopardized, reports are often created that outline the event. Keeping records of such events is important to maintain internal and external transparency because they allow the organization to look back on records and find ways to prevent them from happening again. Additionally, the recordings can allow for outside viewing that helps 'investigators' understand the safety and efficacy of the organization, whether the 'investigators' are potential customers, prospecting employees or other outside beings.
Reporting safety events is a form off surveillance that can provide outsiders with a better look at the overall operations and with documentation, educated decisions can be made about the organization in question. With this being said, hospitals are becoming more transparent with voluntary incident reporting that can vary from patient safety events to employee safety events. Take for instance a patient in a hospital falls while they are walking; this incident is reported and documented with all the specific details of the event. Perhaps the patient fell because of a slippery floor, they simply did not have the strength to stand upright or they tripped over the IV pole they were pushing. These types of incidents can give valuable insight on situations that could be avoided in the future with different preventative measures in place.
It's extremely important for hospitals to voluntary report these unexpected incidents because it can help improve the organization as a whole with detailed records. They also serve as a valuable review resource for individuals seeking treatment at a specific healthcare organization because they may want to choose a facility that has clear and concise records about specific events. Furthermore, incident reports can help employees clearly facilitate the event to all within the organization which can improve the communication of the situation.
Patient and employee safety plays a crucial role in almost any industry and that is especially true in healthcare organizations which is why voluntary reporting is a must. Hospital incident report forms help refresh your memory of the event and are important when anyone involved is hard-pressed to recreate the scene. They also trigger a fast response by managers and others in administration to reduce safety risks by improving or changing certain policies. And finally, they help determine liability and responsibility because an unexpected event could be the fault of patient if they took some kind of action against medical advice.











