Safety Bulletin

Though a data sharing agreement, FICM has access to incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). The NRLS is a confidential database of patient safety reports graded as causing moderate/severe harm or death. Incidents are notified to the NRLS via healthcare organisations although individuals can also report.

The information we have available to us about the incidents is limited to what is written on the incident report. 

Rather than reporting all incidents, the safety bulletin aims to highlight those that are rare or important, and incidents where the risk is perhaps something we just accept in our usual practice.  

It is hoped that the reader will approach these incidents by asking whether they could occur in their own practice or on their unit.  If so, is there anything that can be done to reduce the risk?