title: A Laboratory Critical Incident and Error Reporting System for Experimental Biomedicine.
abstract: We here propose the implementation of a simple and effective method to enhance the quality of basic and preclinical academic research: critical incident reporting (CIR). CIR has become a standard in clinical medicine but to our knowledge has never been implemented in the context of academic basic research. We provide a simple, free, open-source software tool for implementing a CIR system in research groups, laboratories, or large institutions (LabCIRS). LabCIRS was developed, tested, and implemented in our multidisciplinary and multiprofessional neuroscience research department. It is accepted by all members of the department, has led to the emergence of a mature error culture, and has made the laboratory a safer and more communicative environment. Initial concerns that implementation of such a measure might lead to a "surveillance culture" that would stifle scientific creativity turned out to be unfounded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Neurology and Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.|German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.|German Center for Cardiovasular Diseases (DZHK), Berlin, Germany.|Excellence Cluster NeuroCure, Berlin, Germany.|Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dirnagl
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Neurology and Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Przesdzing
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Neurology and Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kurreck
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Neurology and Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Major
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012308:Risk Management