Never Events

A Never Event occurs when a patient experiences a negative consequence of care that results in unintended injury, illness or death.

The National Quality Forum, a nonprofit national coalition of physicians, hospitals, businesses and policy-makers, has identified 28 events as occurrences that should never happen in a hospital and can be prevented. They termed them "serious reportable events', or never events. They include surgical events, such as performing the wrong surgical procedure; product or device evnts, such as contaminated drugs or devices; and criminal events, such as abduction of a patient. See a complete list of never events.

Last Updated: December 2009

For more information regarding this report, please contact Cindy Hale at (309) 672-5986.

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