What is an incident in a healthcare setting?

An incident in a healthcare setting is defined as any event that has harmed or has the potential to harm a patient, staff member, or visitor. This definition encompasses a wide range of occurrences, from medical errors and accidents to near misses that could lead to adverse outcomes. By focusing on events that either caused harm or could have realistically resulted in harm, this perspective emphasizes the importance of safety and risk management in healthcare.

Identifying incidents is crucial for improving patient safety and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. By understanding and analyzing incidents, healthcare professionals can implement corrective actions and preventive measures to mitigate future risks. This approach aligns with goals of improving quality of care, ensuring patient safety, and reducing liability for healthcare institutions.

In this context, the other options do not accurately capture the definition of an incident. Events leading to staff training may involve lessons learned from incidents, but they do not themselves qualify as incidents. Routine procedures, while essential for patient care, do not constitute incidents unless they result in or present risk of harm. Scheduled clinical meetings, on the other hand, are administrative functions and do not involve harm or risk, thus falling outside the definition of an incident in a healthcare environment.