LEFT UNSAID
Most adverse events in a 2008 sample weren’t caught by hospitals’ incident reporting systems, usually because staff didn’t perceive them as reportable. Here are the reasons they gave:
Not caused by perceptible error
An expected outcome or side effect
Caused little harm or harm was ameliorated
Not on the hospital’s mandatory reporting list
Occurs frequently in hospitals
Symptoms became apparent after discharge
Patient had history of similar events
No reason given
Source: HHS' inspector general's office
MODERN HEALTHCARE GRAPHIC