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Tip of the week: Categorize incident reports

Healthcare Security Weekly, February 18, 2008

One way Kent Hospital in Warwick, RI zeros in on safety issues is by collecting incident reports. A well-organized data package makes it easier and quicker to demonstrate the progress of safety initiatives to administrators, surveyors, and inspectors, says Lisa Greenlund, CHSP, ARM, director of risk management and safety.

Kent has 15 categories for its reports, such as electrical, infection control, behavioral health, HVAC, security, etc. Tracking these categories will quickly show where the most work is needed. "I can't tell you how helpful that's been," Greenlund says. "For example, behavioral health has moved to the top of the charts due to this categorization. Had we not had that, certainly we would have acted on the occurrence and addressed the specific situation, but we would not have realized" there was an increase in behavioral health incidents.

To read more about data-driven safety reports, go to www.hcpro.com/ppv-205515.html. The cost is $10. Briefings on Hospital Safety subscribers received this story with their subscriptions.

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