Trials and tribulations: how we established a major incident database

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• Major incidents require robust reporting systems for effective analysis.
• Existing reporting mechanisms may lack standardization, hindering comparative studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the establishment of a major incident reporting database.
• To outline the potential applications of this standardized reporting system.

Main Methods:

• Developed a consensus-based reporting template with expert input.
• Created a website to host the template and serve as the incident report database.
• Documented the setup process, including overcoming specific challenges.

Main Results:

• Successfully established a functional major incident reporting database.
• The database provides a repository for standardized incident reports.

Conclusions:

• The database enables standardized collection and analysis of major incident data.
• Facilitates learning from past events to enhance future preparedness and response.