Safety

JCAHO updates and posts sentinel event statistics

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, August 31, 2006

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The Joint Commission posted its latest sentinel event statistics in the August edition of the "This Month at the Joint Commission." The updated statistics include reported events dating from January 1995 to March 31, 2006.

Since 1995, 2.6% (95) of the 3,661 reports of sentinel events the Joint Commission has received occurred in ambulatory care with one incident in office-based surgery. General hospitals are the site of most events with a percentage of 67.6, or 2475 reported events. The top sentinel events of the total 3,661 recorded include:

  • Patient suicide at 13.2% (483)
  • Wrong-site surgery at 12.8% (470)
  • Op/postop complication at 12.4% (454)
  • Medication error at 9.9% (364)
  • Delay in treatment at 7.5% (276)
A majority (65.5% or 2,399) of sentinel events are self-reported.

Click here to view sentinel event statistics.



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