Completing the audit cycle: the impact of an electronic reporting system on the feedback loop in surgical specialties

The feedback loop of incident reporting is essential in improving patient care. Few studies have followed the loop around its cycle and little data are available concerning the impact of interventions. We investigated the feedback loop before and after the implementation of an electronic reporting system.

Data were collected before and after our intervention. Data were analyzed in terms of the percentage of incidents evaluated, the percentage of incidents resulting in action, whether correlations demonstrated an increased rate of action taken as incident risk score increased.

Prior to our intervention, 43% and 40% of incidents reported were evaluated and acted upon, respectively. Postintervention, the number of incidents reported increased by 198%. All incidents were evaluated and 66% were acted upon. Both pre- and postintervention, no correlations demonstrated an increase in action taken as incident severity increased.

Our intervention resulted in a considerable increase in the number of incidents reported, evaluated, and acted upon. Such an effect would be expected to improve patient safety, although further studies are needed to definitively confirm this. We therefore recommend the use of electronic systems and further studies to evaluate their impact on patient safety.