Enhancing near-miss reporting through recognition in a health screening center

INTRODUCTION

Medical professionals often report patient safety incidents only when actual harm occurs, which leads to underreporting of near-misses.
Near-misses serve as early warnings for patient safety incidents (PSI) and play a crucial role in proactive patient safety management.
Creating a positive patient safety culture is essential for enhancing near-miss reporting.
Recognition Activities (RA) aim to foster active employee participation, seize opportunities for system improvement, and develop safety practices.

AIM

To improve the reporting of near-misses by implementing recognition activities in our health screening center.

METHOD

Educational materials, case examples, and the importance of near-miss reporting were distributed via email to all employees from June to December 2022.
The department of QPS reviewed reported PSIs monthly.
Employees who reported PSIs before harm occurred were recognized with certificates and gifts.
Monthly promotions of RA and relevant case sharing were conducted via email.
The effectiveness of RA was evaluated by examining the number of near-miss reports and the ratio of near-misses to adverse events.

RESULTS

A total of 24 employees were recognized for their efforts in contributing to system improvement through near-misses reporting.
Increased number of near-miss reports and improved ratio of near-misses to adverse events.
Near-miss reports increased from an average of 19 per year to 46 in six months.
Ratio of near-misses to adverse events improved from 0.68 to 0.79.

CONCLUSIONS

Recognition activities significantly increased the reporting of near-misses, promoting a positive patient safety culture.
The study highlighted the importance of continuous recognition and reward activities to enhance patient safety plans.
Future efforts should focus on long-term activities, measuring the impact on safety culture, and analyzing participation across different job roles.