1. What are the four steps of the incident management process in healthcare? Explain each step briefly and

provide an example of an incident that would require this process.

- Answer: The four steps are identification, reporting, analysis and learning. Identification is the recognition

of an incident or a potential incident by staff, patients or others. Reporting is the communication of the

incident to the appropriate authorities or channels. Analysis is the investigation of the causes and

consequences of the incident and the identification of improvement actions. Learning is the implementation

and evaluation of the improvement actions and the dissemination of the lessons learned. An example of an

incident that would require this process is a medication error, such as giving a patient the wrong dose or

drug.

2. What are some proactive strategies to prevent or reduce the risk of incidents in healthcare? Give at least

three examples and explain how they work.

- Answer: Some proactive strategies are: conducting risk assessments to identify and prioritize potential

hazards and vulnerabilities; implementing policies, procedures and protocols to guide safe and consistent

practices; providing training and education to staff on incident prevention and response; conducting audits

and inspections to monitor compliance and performance; engaging patients and families in safety planning

and feedback.

3. What are some reactive strategies to respond to or mitigate the impact of incidents in healthcare? Give at

least three examples and explain how they work.

- Answer: Some reactive strategies are: activating emergency plans and procedures to manage the immediate

situation; providing support and care to the affected staff, patients and families; disclosing the incident and

apologizing to the harmed parties; conducting root cause analysis to identify the underlying factors and

contributing causes; implementing corrective actions and improvement plans to prevent recurrence or reduce

severity.

4. What are some sources of information that can be used to identify incidents or potential incidents in

healthcare? Give at least three examples and explain how they can be accessed or collected.

- Answer: Some sources of information are: incident reporting systems, which are databases or platforms

where staff can report incidents or near misses; patient complaints, which are expressions of dissatisfaction

or concern by patients or families; adverse event surveillance, which is the systematic monitoring of clinical

outcomes or indicators that may signal an incident; morbidity and mortality reviews, which are meetings

where staff discuss cases with adverse outcomes or deaths; safety culture surveys, which are questionnaires

that measure staff perceptions and attitudes towards safety.