What is an incident report?
An incident report is a written statement that records a fully detailed description of
an unusual event that has occurred.
Why are they used?
● Understand the circumstances that caused and contributed to the event
● Record specific details about the incident
● Document injuries or property damage
● Determine methods and strategies for avoiding similar incidents in the future
● Help organizations improve safety and security measures
Description of Incident: Determines who, what, when, why, and where of a
situation that takes place.
a.) Indicate time, date, and location (when and where).
b.) Identify all parties’ involved and unusual activity (who, what, and how).
c.) Recognize possible reasons behind actions of those involved (why).
Example
Witness: Medical Assistant, CNA
On Tuesday, July 2, 2020, at 10:30 a.m., an incident involving Ms. Clark in room
205 occurred. Ms. Clark refused assistance getting out of bed and fell down. Prior to the moment, she fell, she was confused and disoriented after waking up. She repeatedly said she did not want my help and that she just wanted to return home. At that moment, I realized I needed additional assistance to safely remove her from bed; therefore, I put the guard rails back up and told her to stay in bed. As I turned to page the nurse’s station on the intercom, she attempted to get herself out. While reaching for the intercom, I repeatedly told Ms. Clark to hold on, and that I will be helping her. I said, “I am going to help you.” However, she slid past the guard rails toward the end of the bed and fell down. Cynthia Jones (CNA) came in immediately to assist me in helping her up. After the examination, the medical facility doctor, James Smith, determined that nothing was broken, and she had minimal bruising. I was told by my supervisor that going forward two people would have to assist Ms. Clark with getting out of bed to ensure that there are no more accidents of this nature.
Remember:
Anyone can write an incident report.
Some situations require multiple incident reports.
Tell the truth.
What you say matters.
Type description of incident and attach it if there is lack of space or illegible hand- writing.
Write in full sentences.
Check spelling
