Clinical incident reporting: wrong time, wrong place.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this paper is to generate a debate regarding the value of incident reporting in the UK.


METHODS
This paper critiques the dominant approach to patients in the UK.


RESULTS
It is suggested that the reliability of health care processes would need to substantially improve before an incident reporting system can have a meaningful impact on patient safety.


CONCLUSIONS
Greater benefits in patient safety will be accrued by focusing resources on designing reliable processes rather than the extension of incident reporting.


CONCLUSIONS
This paper offers a local perspective on a potentially flawed national strategy.
Renshaw
Mark
M
Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Brighton, UK. mark.renshaw@bsuh.nhs.uk
Vaughan
Craig
C
Ottewill
Mel
M
Ireland
Alan
A
Carmody
Jane
J
D004282:Documentation; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom