Essay On What Are The Goals Of The Sentinel Event Policy?

Complete the worksheet by accessing The Joint Commission website: www.JCAHO.org
Go to http://www.jointcommission.org/Sentinel_Event_Policy_and_Procedures/

Choose behavioral health care and find the definition of sentinel. What is the definition?

Sentinel can be defined as the patient safety event that protects the patient against severe harm, permanent harm or death when it reaches the patient. Some events are also taken as sentinel events though their final results do not take the previous paths.

a) Aims at maintaining the confidence that the public have on the known accredited Hospitals through the process of accreditation.
b) The policy also focuses on increasing the amount of the available knowledge for the purpose of strategies formation for the Sentinel Event Policy.
c) To develop positivity in patient care service and thus prevent sentinel events.
d) To change hospital cultures that might enhance sentinel events in an hospital set-up through focusing attention on sentinel events.

What is the definition to appropriate response to a sentinel event occurrence?

An appropriate response is the one where the hospital staff conducts a credible, timely and thorough analysis of cause of problem then develops a relevant action plan that will lead to improvements thus reducing the chances of such risk occurring again.

What is the focus of a root cause analysis?

This process where one identifies the factors, the factors should be those are responsible for in a varied performance. The process focus on systems and not individuals caused performance. The main focus of the root cause analysis is to enhance performance so as to reduce chances of sentinel events.

What is the product of a root cause analysis?

The product of the root cause analysis is increased performance in the hospital; the increased performance reduces the likelihood of sentinel events occurring.

What is The Joint Commission evaluating during survey?

The Joint Commission tends to evaluate the way Hospital compliances with the set standards to as to mitigate the occurrence of Sentinel Events.

Define a reviewable sentinel event.

Reviewable Sentinel are event that has wide array of happenings which include major permanent loss of organ function, unnatural death, unanticipated death, death un-related to illness, abduction, wrong surgery and other specifications as set by the Joint Commission.

What is the length of time issued for reporting a reviewable sentinel event to The Joint Commission?

The time frame set is not specific, but the occurrence should be reported earlier enough to enable joint commission deal with it at the appropriate time.
What is SEMOS? This is The Sentinel Event Measure of Success, which is a follow-up activity of the action plan and root cause analysis.

What are the categories of data elements in the Sentinel Event Database?

The categories are the Root cause data, Sentinel event data and Risk reduction data. They enable the hospital to deal with the Sentinel Event categorically.

What determines if an onsite review will occur by The Joint Commission?

The Hospital Sentinel Event Policy is the key determinant if a review will occur
Who is responsible for overseeing the implementation of policy and procedure regarding Sentinel Events in The Joint Commission Organization?
The Board of commissioners is the group responsible for overseeing the whole implementation procedure.
What are the three criteria of a root cause analysis once received by The Joint Commission?
They are finding out, initiating an action plan and carrying out a survey.
Define permanent loss of function as defined by The Joint Commission.
It entails condition where one loses the function of physiological elements in the body, intellectual impairment which will need a constant life treatment.

Define near miss or close call as defined by The Joint Commission.

These are occurrences whose first happening has no known consequences but if they happen to repeat themselves their severe consequence awaits the patient.

Reference

Sentinel Events (S.E) 2nd Jan 2015 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Behavioral Healthcare Retrieved From http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/6/CAMBHC_21_SE_all_CURRENT.pdf