A nurse completes an incident/occurrence report after a patient falls.
What is the reason for this report?

Choice A rationale

An incident report primarily focuses on documenting the facts of an event, not on preventing lawsuits. While a thorough report might indirectly help in legal defense by providing a clear record, its main purpose isn't legal protection. Legal strategies are separate from the incident reporting process.

Choice B rationale

Incident reports are crucial for a healthcare facility's quality improvement initiatives. By systematically documenting occurrences like patient falls, the hospital can analyze trends, identify potential risks and contributing factors, and implement strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future, thereby enhancing patient safety and care quality.

Choice C rationale

While incident reports from various units might be reviewed and compared as part of a broader quality improvement effort, the primary reason for completing an individual incident report is not solely for comparing fall rates between units. The immediate goal is to document the specific incident and identify local contributing factors.

Choice D rationale

Incident reports are designed to document events objectively. They are not primarily used as a basis for disciplinary action against a nurse. Disciplinary processes would involve a separate investigation to determine if negligence or policy violations occurred, based on various sources of information, not just the incident report.

Choice A rationale

Sharing information only with family members violates confidentiality unless the patient has provided explicit consent. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects patient health information from unauthorized disclosure, even to family, without patient permission.

Choice B rationale

Adherence to confidentiality principles mandates that healthcare professionals access patient medical records only when there is a legitimate clinical reason related to the provision of care for that specific patient. Accessing records out of curiosity or without a direct care responsibility is a breach of confidentiality.

Choice C rationale

Providing information only to another nurse is too restrictive. Confidentiality allows for the sharing of necessary patient information with all members of the healthcare team directly involved in the patient's care, not just nurses.

Choice D rationale

Providing information only to an attorney is incorrect. While patient records may be disclosed to attorneys in specific legal situations with proper authorization (e.g., subpoena, patient consent), healthcare professionals can also share information with other authorized individuals involved in the patient's care.