Certain adverse events in healthcare must be reported to regulatory or accreditationorganizations such as The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and state health departments. Reporting these events helps in improving patient safety, reducing harm, and ensuring compliance with quality standards.
Among the options, wrong-site surgery (Option B) is a sentinel event and must be mandatorily reported to The Joint Commission and other regulatory bodies.
Understanding Sentinel Events
A sentinel event is a serious, preventable adverse event that results in severe harm or death. According to The Joint Commission, wrong-site surgeries are considered a Never Event, meaning they should never occur in a well-functioning healthcare system.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect:
Medication error (Option A):
Medication errors are common, but not all require mandatory reporting unless they lead to severe patient harm or death.
Some state agencies and CMS may require reporting depending on severity.
Patient fall (Option C):
Falls are a significant safety issue but only require reporting if they result in serious injury or death.
Organizations like CMS require reporting of falls that lead to fractures, head injuries, or major harm.
Patient grievance (Option D):
While patient grievances should be tracked internally, they do not require mandatory reporting unless they involve safety concerns leading to serious harm.
Thus, Option B (Wrong-site surgery) is the correct answer because it is classified as a sentinel event requiring immediate regulatory reporting.
[References:, The Joint Commission (TJC) Sentinel Event Policy, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HAC) Reporting, National Quality Forum (NQF) "Never Events" List, , , , , , ]
