Accreditation 2023 - Safety Culture

Incident Reporting by Andrew Keck

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Incident reporting is an important component of safety. By reporting potential or actual safety events, Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) staff and physicians help prevent recurrences, enhance our understanding of safety risks, and contribute to a culture of safety. At PRH, the primary mechanism for reporting safety events is the Risk Incident Management System (RIMS).RIMS is available by logging onto Citrix, and clicking on the RIMS icon.

This year, PRH staff and physicians completed more than 900 RIMS reports! Numerous improvements have been implemented as a result, including:

•  modifications to clinical processes
• enhancements to staff education
• development of new patient facing materials
• updates to PRH policy documents.
  

Here are some useful tips for reporting incidents using RIMS:

1. The PRH staff member, physician, or learner who witnessed, was involved in, or first learned of the incident should complete the RIMS report. Supervisors or managers can assist individuals with limited access to hospital computers or who are unfamiliar with RIMS.

2. Incident reports should be completed as soon as possible, preferably by the end of the working shift after the incident occurred or was discovered.

• An incident is where an unsafe action or event has reached the patient/individual and has or could have resulted in harm ranging from "no harm to minor" to "severe to critical".
• A near miss is any unsafe situation or event that did NOT reach the patient/individual but could have resulted in harm if it had. Click here for the ‘Q-Tip’

3. When documenting a safety incident in RIMS, it’s best to stick to facts. Avoid making assumptions or judgments and keep the language as objective as possible.

If you have any RIMS related questions or concerns, review the "Risk Incident Management System" policy in Policy Medical, or contact the Manager of Quality and Risk Management at andrew.keck@prh.email