Pilot system to detect mistakes being tried out at KLH

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: A pilot incident reporting system where mistakes in treatment can be detected is being tried out at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said a culture of safety would only develop when people were not afraid to report mistakes and when people were able to sit down and learn how to correct those mistakes and improve.
“One of the important prerequisites for this to occur is an incident reporting system. This is currently being piloted at the KLH under the guidance of a World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant.
“This makes Malaysia among the first in the world to comply with WHO standards. However, incidence reporting and problem solving is only part of the solution. The other part involves prevention,” Dr Chua said at the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) public forum.
The text of his speech was read out by the ministry’s medical practice director Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub.
It is understood that the incident reporting system comprises a standard two-page form which collects information on anything that may have gone wrong during a medical procedure.
Healthcare providers involved in the procedure could fill up this form anonymously with the ultimate goal of providing information to rectify procedures so that the same mistakes do not recur.
The form addresses seven areas, namely the patient, task and technology, healthcare provider, team, work environment, policy and procedures and external factors.
It is also understood that the reporting system would be extended nationwide and this would allow all public hospitals to learn from each other’s mistakes and improve.
MSQH president Datin Siti Sa’diah Sheikh Bakir said the society had accredited 61 public hospitals and 17 private hospitals which accounted for more than 50% of hospital beds in the country.
“The accreditation ensures international safety and quality standards are adhered to and hospitals are surveyed every three years to make sure they are always improving,” she said.