Question: Is there a way for clinicians to submit a patient safety event or concern through the Connect Care clinical information system?
Context: A patient safety event is an event, incident, or condition that could have resulted or did result in harm to a patient. An event can be, but is not necessarily, the result of a defective system or process design, a system breakdown, equipment failure, or human error. This includes how a clinical information system (CIS) may affect the risk for or handling of an event.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) uses a single, province-wide system for patient safety reporting. The Reporting & Learning System for Patient Safety (RLS) supports a just culture that includes reporting and learning as key elements of quality care. Consistent reporting of hazards, close calls and adverse events is encouraged for the purpose of learning about and improving patient safety throughout the health care system.
Note that AHS uses is a separate system (Medical Device Incidents or Problems, MDIPs) for reporting device-specific malfunctions.
Also note that RLS is used to report blood product safety events, including transfusion reactions.
Answer: The RLS patient safety reporting system is integrated with the Connect Care CIS. Users can describe an event and submit a report from within Connect Care. Use the Search function (top right in Hyperspace) to search for "RLS" then select the appropriate activity where different types of safety events are presented for reporting. RLS also appears near the top of the Epic menu structure.
Use the "Other Patient Safety Event" category to report safety events that are felt to be attributable to, or aggravated by, any software within the Connect Care CIS.
- Be sure to check the question “Was digital health technology a factor” as "Yes".
- If a helpdesk (help.connect-care.ca) service ticket was created, please include the ticket number in the description of the event.
- If the safety event was specific to a particular patient care workflow, please add the medical record number (MRN) to the description of the event.
- QuickReference: Reporting Safety Events Online