What is an example of a Sentinel Event?

What is an example of a Sentinel Event?

• A. A patient satisfaction survey.
• B. A near-miss disclosure.
• C. A surgical mistake that leads to paralysis or the wrong medication being administered.
• D. A successful surgery.

Answer: (C)

Sentinel events are serious patient safety events that result in death, permanent harm, or severe temporary harm and require immediate investigation and action to prevent recurrence. The example given—an event where a surgical mistake leads to paralysis or the wrong medication being administered—fits because it causes significant, person-facing harm and signals a breakdown in safety processes that must be analyzed and corrected promptly. This kind of event triggers formal review and system-wide improvements to reduce the risk of similar harm in the future. The other options don’t meet this threshold. A patient satisfaction survey measures experience, not safety harm. A near-miss disclosure involves reporting a near-miss that could have caused harm but didn’t reach the patient, so there’s no actual harm yet. A successful surgery results in no harm to the patient, so it does not constitute a sentinel event.

Sentinel events are serious patient safety events that result in death, permanent harm, or severe temporary harm and require immediate investigation and action to prevent recurrence. The example given—an event where a surgical mistake leads to paralysis or the wrong medication being administered—fits because it causes significant, person-facing harm and signals a breakdown in safety processes that must be analyzed and corrected promptly. This kind of event triggers formal review and system-wide improvements to reduce the risk of similar harm in the future.

The other options don’t meet this threshold. A patient satisfaction survey measures experience, not safety harm. A near-miss disclosure involves reporting a near-miss that could have caused harm but didn’t reach the patient, so there’s no actual harm yet. A successful surgery results in no harm to the patient, so it does not constitute a sentinel event.