Never events and Medical negligence

20.12.2024 - The Hindu

Never Events definition

serious and largely preventable incidents that should never occur in healthcare settings if proper safety protocols are followed.

Background

introduced in 2002 by the National Quality Forum (NQF) in the United States. The western world maintain a list of never events

Confusion between countries

lack a universal definition and overlaps with terms like ’sentinel events’ or ‘serious reportable events’. United Kingdom’s NHS’s updated 2021 list includes 16 events, while the United States recognises 29 events.

Bharat context

Never events as a term has not been explicitly acknowledged or used in the Indian context, instead, medical negligence is applied.

Medical negligence occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet the expected standard of care, leading to harm.

Problems in addressing

fails to account for systemic failures, such as organisational inefficiencies, poor infrastructure, and communication gaps frontline staff, though closest to these incidents, are not fully responsible for their occurrence.