In risk management, what is a near-miss event?

In risk management, what is a near-miss event?

• A. An event with no potential to cause harm
• B. An event that could have caused harm but did not reach the patient or did not cause harm.
• C. An event that caused minor injury.
• D. An event that always results in harm.

Answer: (B)

Near-miss events in risk management are safety incidents that could have caused harm but did not reach the patient or did not cause harm. They highlight weaknesses in systems or processes and provide a valuable learning opportunity because they show what could go wrong even when no harm occurs. By reporting and analyzing near misses, teams can identify root causes and put in place changes to prevent actual harm in the future. This is different from events that were harmless regardless of action, events that result in injury, or events that would always cause harm.

Near-miss events in risk management are safety incidents that could have caused harm but did not reach the patient or did not cause harm. They highlight weaknesses in systems or processes and provide a valuable learning opportunity because they show what could go wrong even when no harm occurs. By reporting and analyzing near misses, teams can identify root causes and put in place changes to prevent actual harm in the future. This is different from events that were harmless regardless of action, events that result in injury, or events that would always cause harm.