Author response: from analysis to learning

Williams, Cooper and Carson-Stevens1 highlight some advanced approaches to analysing safety incident reports that can generate valuable insights into the causes of common events, and can help identify and prioritise topics for more focused conversations, investigations and improvement actions. However, in many healthcare settings, the focus on collecting and analysing large quantities of incident data continues to distract attention from the social, collaborative and participative work that is required to learn from safety incidents. Learning from safety incidents is by necessity a contact sport: it happens when people actively reflect on their own practices and collaboratively work together to investigate and reorganise systems.2 Incident reporting systems provide a continual stream of concrete events around which rapid cycles of investigation and improvement can be routinely organised. These practical improvement activities are the ultimate purpose of incident reporting, and in many cases these activities can—and should—take place...

Source: Quality and Safety in Health Care - January 18, 2016 Category: Health Management Authors: Macrae, C. Tags: BMJQS Noteworthy articles Correspondence Source Type: research