The quality and risk nurse in the local hospital is performing a hospital survey on sentinel events.Which of the following statements would the nurse use to best describe a sentinel event?

A) An event that can cause serious injury to a patient that should never happen in a hospital
B) Specific events that enable a hospital to maximize reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid
C) An unexpected event involving death or serious physical or psychological injury
D) An event in the operating room area involving the use of unsafe equipment

Question

Kevon Troupe · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : C , Explanation :  A sentinel event is an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury.The Joint Commission requires all healthcare agencies to perform a root cause analysis for such events.Never events can,but do not always,cause serious injury or death to a patient; they are mostly preventable,and should never happen in a hospital.Medicare and Medicaid provide a list of never events such as foreign objects left in patients after surgery,air embolism,administration of the wrong blood type,and severe pressure ulcers.Medicare and Medicaid look very closely at never events and will no longer pay institutions for care required to treat the effects of such errors.

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