The Joint Commission released its 2018 sentinel event report. Sentinel events are unexpected events that result in patient death or injury.
A total of 801 sentinel events were reviewed by The Joint Commission in 2018 — 87 percent of which were self-reported by an accredited or certified organization.
The top 10 most common sentinel events are:
1. Fall: 111 events
2. Unintended retention of a foreign body: 111
3. Wrong-site surgery: 94
4. Unassigned: 68
5. Other unanticipated event (includes choking, burns, drowning and being found unresponsive): 59
6. Suicide: 50
7. Delay in treatment: 43
8. Product or device events: 29
9. Criminal event: 28
10. Medication error: 24