Incident Recordkeeping in Health Care

Two government agencies are chiefly responsible for maintaining records and tracking trends in healthcare incidents:

- The CDC collects data about patient and healthcare worker incidents reported by hospitals and other healthcare facilities. - OSHA collects information about worker injuries and fatalities from all types of employment, including health care.

The hospital takes the following steps to reduce the risk of spreading MRSA in Hallway D and other areas of the hospital:

- holding an emergency staff meeting to review basic hospital rules for disinfecting and sterilizing equipment and surfaces - posting signs at each nurse station to remind staff of disinfection procedures - implementing unannounced daily audits of disinfecting and sterilizing procedures by an administrator

Within a healthcare organization, specific personnel are responsible for:

- maintaining incident reports - submitting reports to appropriate agencies - analyzing and tracking incident trends

With a grant, a hospital is able to do:

- provide free testing and increased HIV treatment services to low-income and uninsured patients - offer better sex-education curriculum to local high schools - increase public awareness of HIV through health fairs and PSAs

report of an infection will include:

- signs and symptoms - the likely cause of the infection or medical condition

Specific types of cases that may warrant improved prevention methods include:

- slip-and-fall injuries - MRSA infections - sunburns - HIV/AIDS

Examples of injuries and infections that can occur at a healthcare facility include:

- slips and falls - accidental poisonings or overdoses - burns - seizures - surgical errors - MRSA infections - pneumonia

Incident reporting procedures include:

- the person who needs to file the report - the timeline for filing the report - the person whom the report is submitted to

a comprehensive incident report will include:

- the time and date of the incident - the location of the incident - the name(s) of the injured and witnesses - an objective description of what happened - that nature of the injuries - the steps taken to resolve the incident

PSAs encourage such behaviors as:

- wearing seatbelts - storing prescription medications out of the reach of children - eating fruits and vegetables - quitting smoking

two major strategies for improving safety

1. implementing changes to current procedures 2. increasing compliance with current procedures

What forms might public service announcements take? Check all that apply. a. billboards b. television ads c. medication labels d. product packaging

a and b

incident record-keeping

a method of collecting and tracking incident reports and trends

grant

a sum of money given to a person or organization to complete a project

What agency is responsible for tracking and reporting data from all patient and worker incidents in healthcare facilities? a. CDC b. PSA c. MRSA d. OSHA

a. CDC

A hospital would like to offer free flu vaccines to uninsured patients to prevent new cases of influenza. To cover the cost of the vaccines, the hospital should apply for a. a grant. b. a PSA. c. a risk manager. d. an incident report.

a. a grant.

The purpose of a public service announcement is to a. promote healthy prevention behaviors. b. advertise the services of a local hospital. c. announce the introduction of a new medication. d. inform the public about trends in hospital incident data.

a. promote healthy prevention behaviors.

What is the goal of prevention programs that are put into place after incident reports are assessed? a. to reduce the rates of incidents b. to punish workers who are not following safety policies c. to improve the way accidents are reported to the CDC d. to take care of patients who suffered injuries from the accidents

a. to reduce the rates of incidents

incident

an accidental event that causes injury or infection

public service announcement (PSA)

an advertisement that promotes healthy behaviors

A healthcare facility notes a rapid increase in the number of lung infections reported among patients who are staying in one section of the hospital. What would the appropriate response most likely to include? Check all that apply. a. sending all of the infected patients home b. determining the cause of the infections c. implementing a strategy to reduce the risk of infection d. re-collecting the information to verify its accuracy

b and c - If a healthcare facility notes an increasing trend, staff must take action. They must identify the cause of the problem, then develop appropriate strategies and put them into motion.

Which of the following pieces of information should be included in an incident report? Check all that apply. a. an indication of whose fault the injury was b. the time and place of the incident c. the steps taken to resolve the situation d. a best guess as to the cause of the injury

b and c - Only objective information should be recorded in an incident report. The time, the location, a description of the incident, and the steps taken to resolve the situation are critical pieces of information.

A nursing home is having trouble controlling the spread of infectious disease among workers and patients. What strategies might the staff implement to tackle this problem? Check all that apply. a. submitting an incident report to the CDC b. improving infectious disease control procedures c. creating a public service announcement to publish on the Internet d. increasing staff compliance with existing prevention procedures

b and d

Where are incident reports generally filed? Check all that apply. a. homes b. hospitals c. businesses d. assisted-living facilities

b, c, and d

Incident record keeping is in the documentation and tracking of a. needed medical supplies b. accidents involving injuries and infections c. successful hospital treatments d. the number of patients admitted to a hospital

b. accidents involving injuries and infections - Incidents are accidents that cause harm to patients or healthcare workers. Records of these incidents are kept to track trends and improve prevention.

The CDC uses incident reports to gather information about a. public service announcements. b. the types of incidents that happen. c. healthcare staff training programs. d. the number of patients who arrive at the emergency room.

b. the types of incidents that happen.

What do incident reporting procedures include? Check all that apply. a. a cover-up of the incident b. statistical analysis of the reporta timeline for completing the report c. a timeline for completing the report d. the name of the person responsible for writing the report

c and d

Which of the following events would likely require staff to write up an incident report? Check all that apply. a. a patient tests positive for HIV b. a patient enters the hospital with a sprained knee c. a patient falls while getting out of a hospital bed d. a nurse is accidentally stuck with a needle at work and contracts a blood-borne disease

c and d

Which of the following strategies would reduce the number of MRSA infections in a hospital? Check all that apply. a. installing hand rails on stairways b. purchasing additional "wet floor" signs c. posting reminders for nurses to sterilize equipment d. implementing more staff training focused on disinfection procedures

c and d - Raising awareness among staff of poor compliance with safety procedures can reduce the risk of MRSA infections.

A community public health official orders pamphlets promoting healthy sexual behaviors and coordinates presentations at local high schools. What disease or condition might the official be targeting? a. cancer b. sunburn c. HIV/AIDS d. head trauma

c. HIV/AIDS

The CDC publishes a report that shows an increasing number of head injuries resulting from traffic accidents this year. What is the benefit of having this information? a. It can be used to stop traffic. b. It can be used to educate patients who have head injuries. c. It can be used to increase public awareness about the issue and reduce incidents. d. It can be used to design targeted intervention programs at state hospitals.

c. It can be used to increase public awareness about the issue and reduce incidents.

Once an incident report is completed at the hospital, what should happen next? a. The report should be shredded. b. The report should be handed over to the affected patient. c. The report should be submitted to state and federal agencies. d. The report should be published to the hospital's website.

c. The report should be submitted to state and federal agencies.

Hospital staff review their sterilization procedures for surgical equipment and determine them to be among the best in the nation. However, the hospital has abnormally high rates of infection from improperly sterilized equipment. Why might that be? a. The hospital has a poor patient education program. b. The incident reporting system does not include surgical staff. c. There is poor compliance with sterilization procedures among surgical staff.

c. There is poor compliance with sterilization procedures among surgical staff.

OSHA collects and maintains records about accidents involving a. patients b. facilities c. healthcare workers d. healthcare workers and patients

c. healthcare workers - OSHA gathers data on worker safety in all sectors of employment in the United States. The CDC collects patient and healthcare worker safety data.

Annual reports from tracking agencies can be accessed a. on billboards. b. in hospital waiting rooms. c. on the agencies' websites. d. in mailers sent to every household.

c. on the agencies' websites.

Why might educating patients about hospital accidents be useful? a. It allows staff to avoid responsibility for keeping patients safe. b. It allows patients to choose to stay home instead of going to the hospital. c. It allows staff to fill out incident reports before accidents occur. d. It allows patients to be more proactive about avoiding common accidents.

d. It allows patients to be more proactive about avoiding common accidents.

On May 24, 2012, patient M. Washington tripped on an electrical cord that was stretched across the third-floor hallway. The patient broke her left wrist in the fall. Witnessed by Dr. B. Adams. What piece of information should have been included in the report? a. the name of the person whose fault the accident was b. the age and ethnicity of the patient c. an analysis of what the patient should have done to avoid tripping d. an explanation of what the hospital did to take care of the situation

d. an explanation of what the hospital did to take care of the situation

A public service announcement might contain information about a. the latest celebrity news b. which brand of perfume to buy c. the best medical schools in the area d. how to protect oneself from head injury

d. how to protect oneself from head injury - Public service announcements are focused messages that educate the public about accident prevention and health promotion.

If a hospital administrator notes a rise in the number of cases of Legionnaires' disease among patients admitted overnight at the hospital, what should the administrator do next? a. announce the increased rate to patients b. implement a new hospital admission policy c. evaluate the hospital's incident-reporting procedure d. identify the causes of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak

d. identify the causes of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak

Hospital staff should ___________ when they discover a rise in incidents occurring at their facility.

implement prevention strategies

The CDC and OSHA create reports that examine _____________ in incident data.

trends