International recommendations for national patient safety incident reporting systems: an expert Delphi consensus-building process.

Howell AM, Burns EM, Hull L, Mayer E, Sevdalis N, Darzi A. BMJ Qual Saf. 2017;26:150-163.

Although incident reporting systems remain central to most patient safety programs, they are frequently criticized for their inability to accurately measure harm events and near misses. Researchers interviewed experts to establish consensus on the role of patient safety incident reporting systems. Using a Delphi approach, they were able to derive 40 recommendations. Consistent with prior research, experts agreed that incident reporting systems should not be used to measure rates of harm.

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