Joint Commission: Procedure errors, retention of foreign body, suicide top sentinel event list

Through the third quarter of 2015, the top sentinel events reported to The Joint Commission were wrong-patient/wrong-site/wrong-procedure errors, unintended retention of a foreign body, and patient suicide.
Sentinel events, which are unexpected incidents that lead to patient injury or death, are currently voluntarily reported to The Joint Commission by 26 states and the District of Columbia.

As of October 1, there were 731 sentinel events reported this year. Last year, there were 764 event reports and in 2013, 887 reports were made. This year’s most frequently reviewed sentinel events were wrong-patient/wrong-site/wrong-procedure errors with 92, unintended retention of foreign body (85), suicide (75), patient falls (66), and delayed treatment (59). Other events reported include operative/post-operative complication, perinatal death and injury, medication errors, criminal events, and fire.

Read The Joint Commission’s sentinel event data summary.