An incident reporting system: documented at the point of service

Many healthcare organizations maintain two systems for documenting incidents reports: A paper incident report system completed by staff and managers and A computerized system where clerical staff duplicate the same information in a database. This article discusses the way risk managers in hospitals and healthcare organizations can reduce paperwork and more rapidly address the implementation of a point of service computerized system to document incidents. The benefits of such a system include: Real-time information and trending of occurrences. Reduced liability by securing reports earlier. Maintaining a higher level of confidentiality. Earlier problem resolution. Providing a valuable link between the risk, quality, and safety functions of the organization.