The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The 53rd issue of "HA Risk Alert" was published today (April 26) by the Hospital Authority (HA) as a risk management and communication initiative to further strengthen the reporting and monitoring of medical incidents in public hospitals.
In the fourth quarter of 2018 (October to December), there were 10 Sentinel Events reported, including five cases of retained instrument after surgery/interventional procedure, three cases of inpatient suicide and two cases of wrong side procedure. Among the 27 reported Serious Untoward Events, there were 26 related to medication error and one patient misidentification.
"Subsequent to incident review and analysis of root causes of these incidents, important lessons of patient safety are identified, while recommendations are made and shared in this publication to avoid similar events in future," the HA spokesperson said.
The HA Head Office has released the latest "HA Risk Alert" to all staff. It can also be accessed by the public at www.ha.org.hk/riskalert. "HA Risk Alert" is published on a quarterly basis and posted on the HA website every last working Friday in the months of January, April, July and October. The next issue is scheduled for July 26 (Friday).
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