CELBAN Writing Incident Reports 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which section of an incident report describes the sequence of events leading up to the incident?
- Outcome section
- Narrative or description of event section (Correct answer)
- Follow-up action section
- Staff signature section
Correct answer: Narrative or description of event section
The narrative section provides a chronological, factual account of what happened before, during, and immediately after the incident.
Question 2: A nurse notices a patient has developed a stage 2 pressure injury that was not documented on admission. The FIRST action is to:
- File the incident report and then assess the patient
- Assess and treat the patient, then complete the incident report promptly (Correct answer)
- Inform the family before doing anything else
- Wait until the next shift to confirm the finding
Correct answer: Assess and treat the patient, then complete the incident report promptly
Patient care always takes priority; the incident report is completed after the patient's immediate needs are addressed.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the purpose of an incident report from a quality improvement perspective?
- To assign blame to the responsible staff member
- To identify system failures and prevent future incidents (Correct answer)
- To document evidence for legal proceedings only
- To notify insurance companies of potential claims
Correct answer: To identify system failures and prevent future incidents
Incident reports are primarily quality improvement tools used to identify and address systemic vulnerabilities.
Question 4: When a visitor trips and falls in the hallway, who is responsible for completing the incident report?
- The hospital administrator on duty
- The nurse or staff member who witnesses or is first notified of the incident (Correct answer)
- The visitor's family member
- The housekeeping staff nearest to the scene
Correct answer: The nurse or staff member who witnesses or is first notified of the incident
The nurse or staff member who witnesses or responds to an incident is responsible for completing the corresponding report.
Question 5: The incident report should be filed:
- Inside the patient's permanent health record
- Separately from the patient's chart, in the risk management system (Correct answer)
- In the nursing station's shared log only
- Attached to the patient discharge summary
Correct answer: Separately from the patient's chart, in the risk management system
Incident reports are confidential quality improvement documents kept separate from the patient's medical record.
Question 6: A patient refuses a prescribed medication. The nurse should document this in the incident report as:
- Patient was non-compliant and argumentative about medication.
- Patient exercised their right to refuse; medication withheld; physician notified at [time]. (Correct answer)
- Medication was not given due to patient error.
- Patient seemed confused about their medication regimen.
Correct answer: Patient exercised their right to refuse; medication withheld; physician notified at [time].
Documentation should reflect the patient's right to refuse, factual actions taken, and notification of the responsible physician.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a 'near miss' that should still be reported?
- A nurse administered the wrong medication dose but caught the error before the patient received it. (Correct answer)
- A patient's family complained about food quality.
- The emergency call light needed a new battery.
- A supply room was found to be disorganized.
Correct answer: A nurse administered the wrong medication dose but caught the error before the patient received it.
Near misses — errors caught before reaching the patient — should be reported to prevent future occurrences.
CELBAN Writing Incident Reports 3
Which section of an incident report describes the sequence of events leading up to the incident?