Patient Safety Reporting Initiative, NJDHSS

View of Operating Room In 2004, the New Jersey Patient Safety Act (P.L. 2004, c9) was signed into law. The statute was designed to improve patient safety in hospitals and other health care facilities by establishing a medical error reporting system.

Rather than seeking to place blame, the system promotes comprehensive reporting of adverse patient events, systematic analysis of their causes, and creation of solutions that will improve health care quality and save lives.

This site is designed to help health care facilities develop strong patient safety programs and fulfill the law’s mandatory reporting requirements.

Helpful Links for Consumers about Patient Safety:

The Patient Safety Initiative: 2007 Summary Report reviews the third year of reporting and Patient Safety Initiative activities.

Event: The patient fell while being transferred from the commode to the bed. The patient had a previous amputation above the knee and he refused to wear his prosthesis. The patient care technician assisted him to the commode. He pivoted toward the side of his intact leg to get to the commode but pivoted toward the side of his amputation to get back to bed. He fell during the transfer back to bed.

Hospital Strategy: The RCA Team discovered that training for patient care technicians included transfers but did not specifically address certain patient populations, such as amputees. The training now addresses special populations and includes role playing and demonstration of transfers. The hospital has also started an SBAR report for patient care technicians to include specific information, such as the amputee status.

Department of Health and Senior Services P. O. Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360 Phone: (609) 292-7837 Toll-free in NJ: 1-800-367-6543 Our Locations
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