Assignment task:
Incident reports are used as a record for occurrences that happen unexpectedly such as medication administration errors or falls whether it be a patient, family member, or an employee (NSO, n.d). These reports are used to identify system wide issues such as short staffing, improper equipment, or inadequate supplies to make improvements. Incident reports are not meant for punitive action for staff, but instead as a teaching moment and a way to discuss what changes should be made. In healthcare, our goal is to keep patients safe, but accidents unfortunately happen to even the most experienced healthcare workers. Common incidents reported in hospital settings include; medication errors, unsafe surgical procedures, healthcare associated infections, diagnostic errors, patient falls, pressure ulcers, patient misidentification, and unsafe blood transfusion and venous thromboembolism (WHO, 2023). It is impossible to prevent all errors, but it is possible to put procedures into place to act as a barrier. When an error is made, the incident should not be documented in the patient's chart. Instead, we use the designated website provided by the healthcare facility to detail the incident that occurred.