title: Reducing risk in general practice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthcare services are complex and prone to accidents. Most medical incidents are the result of human error. Examination of these incidents can reveal contributing factors that can be addressed to prevent recurrence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper is to describe the development and institution of an incident review committee (IRC) in the setting of a large general practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two hundred incident reports were reviewed, resulting in meaningful clinical and business alterations to the practice. The design and running of the committee was open and collaborative. A satisfaction survey showed high acceptance among staff. The instigation of an IRC in general practice is new and unique, and this paper offers a template for other general practices to replicate.
authors.affiliation: MBBS, General Practitioner, Camp Hill Healthcare, Brisbane, QLD.
authors.forename: Siobhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tiernan
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: Katharine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Kayla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schembri
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galea
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012308:Risk Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior