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Sentinel Event Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
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Sentinel Event Analysis
A sentinel event refers to any safety occurrence leading to death or permanent harm to a
patient. For instance, suicide is a sentinel event since its occurrence is not associated with the
natural course of an individual illness. However, sentinel events can be prevented through the
transformative role of practitioners in clinical settings (Amer, 2014). Nurses can adopt regulatory
policies that are geared towards reinforcing safety and quality of care in clinical facilities.
As a practitioner in a psychiatric department, suicide has increasingly become rampant
among patients. As such, the facility has adopted a safety policy requiring practitioners to
conduct thorough risk assessments and provide appropriate safety needs for patients. This
concept echoes the Joint Commission’s regulation that health facilities should define safety
events and enumerate appropriate response mechanisms to be adopted (Robst, 2015). Despite the
differences, the policy framework implemented in my place of work echoes the Commission’s
regulations.
In the institution I work from, the psychiatrists are also required to provide vital
information to the patient and their families regarding suicide prevention measures. This
framework mirrors the Commission’s regulation that hospitals should engage families and
patients in enhancing safety in the facility (Robst, 2015). For example, through the provided
hotlines, the practitioners can engage with patients or families, which helps prevent sentinel
events during crises (Robst, 2015). Therefore, the policy adopted in my workplace compares
with the Joint Commission’s regulations regarding sentinel events.
I believe it is essential to have Joint Commissions since they promote safety in clinical
settings. Regulatory agencies often provide frameworks that help eliminate human errors
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associated with sentinel events in healthcare. Also, these agencies help clinical facilities develop
safe and appropriate response measures in crises.
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References
Amer, K. (2014). Quality and safety for transformational nursing: Core competencies. Pearson
Higher Ed.
Robst, J. (2015). Suicide attempts after emergency room visits: The effect of patient safety
goals. Psychiatric quarterly, 86(4), 497-504.
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