The Joint Commission shared four myths about sentinel event reporting — a voluntary system for self-reporting an occurrence or risk of unexpected death or serious injury — to dispel misconceptions in a Joint Commission Online report.
Here are some of the most common myths The Joint Commission has encountered from its customers and clarifications.
Myth 1: The patient came in very sick and just died. No one did anything wrong. This event does not meet the criteria for a reviewable sentinel event set by The Joint Commission.
Fact: Any unanticipated death is a reviewable event. In contrast, a death that results from the natural progression of an existing condition is not considered a reviewable sentinel event.
Myth 2: My organization does not have to provide sentinel event information to The Joint Commission because my state has mandatory reporting requirements.
Fact: The state and The Joint Commission may have different definitions of sentinel events and what is considered reportable, which may require an organization to report events to both agencies.
Myth 3: If my organization reports a sentinel event to The Joint Commission, it will automatically send out surveyors.
Fact: "The decision to conduct a for-cause survey following a sentinel event is based on the severity of the issue and the magnitude of its risk to patient safety and quality of care, not on whether your organization reported it," the report states.
Myth 4: On our next survey, the surveyors will ask about the sentinel event we self-reported or ask to see our data related to the event.
Fact: A surveyor may ask to see the organization's sentinel event policy or an example of the organization's response to a sentinel event, but the example does not have to be an event the organization is currently responding to.
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Here are some of the most common myths The Joint Commission has encountered from its customers and clarifications.
Myth 1: The patient came in very sick and just died. No one did anything wrong. This event does not meet the criteria for a reviewable sentinel event set by The Joint Commission.
Fact: Any unanticipated death is a reviewable event. In contrast, a death that results from the natural progression of an existing condition is not considered a reviewable sentinel event.
Myth 2: My organization does not have to provide sentinel event information to The Joint Commission because my state has mandatory reporting requirements.
Fact: The state and The Joint Commission may have different definitions of sentinel events and what is considered reportable, which may require an organization to report events to both agencies.
Myth 3: If my organization reports a sentinel event to The Joint Commission, it will automatically send out surveyors.
Fact: "The decision to conduct a for-cause survey following a sentinel event is based on the severity of the issue and the magnitude of its risk to patient safety and quality of care, not on whether your organization reported it," the report states.
Myth 4: On our next survey, the surveyors will ask about the sentinel event we self-reported or ask to see our data related to the event.
Fact: A surveyor may ask to see the organization's sentinel event policy or an example of the organization's response to a sentinel event, but the example does not have to be an event the organization is currently responding to.
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