• PR: Sentinel Event Statistics for First Half of 2015 (PDF/QV) [REF: JCSC, LDR] Perspectives October 2014, Vol 35, #10, Pg 13 JCp1510_B2

The ten most frequently reported types of sentinel events have changed very little since the publication of these statistics for 2014.  Fire-related events moved on to the list in position 10 (bumping Medication Errors up to #9) and Criminal Events came off.  Suicide is still #3 and Falls moved up to #2.  Similarly, the first five of the ten most frequently identified root causes remain the same as last year.  However, Medication Use and Performance Improvement entered the listing in positions # 9 and #10 as replacements for Operative Care and Continuum of Care.
Tip: Leaders should consider items form the list of most frequent sentinel events (e.g., falls, suicide, medication errors) as potential candidates for proactive risk assessment that might keep your organization from adding to those statistics.