Patient Safety Incident Reporting: Current Trends and Gaps Within the Canadian Health System

Patient safety incidents are a national-level phenomenon, requiring a pan-Canadian approach to ensure that incidents are reported and lessons are learned and broadly disseminated. This work explores the variation in current provincial and local approaches to reporting through a literature review. Trends are consolidated and recommendations are offered to foster better alignment of existing systems. These include adopting a common terminology, defining the patient role in reporting, increasing system users' perception of safety and further investigating the areas of home and community care in ensuring standard approaches at the local level. These steps can promote alignment, reducing barriers to a future pan-Canadian reporting and learning system.