§ 2.25.020. Definition and description of adverse events.

An adverse event is an unintended situation that arises from an error in medical diagnosis, procedure, equipment, product, medication or other patient care that results in death or serious injury. Serious injury includes loss of limb or function. Examples of such unintended situations include, but are not limited to, those events listed below which have been derived from the National Quality Forum's List of 27 Serious Reportable Events.

(a)

Surgical events such as, but not limited to, surgery performed on the wrong person or body part, performing the wrong surgical procedure, leaving foreign objects in patients, and death during or immediately after surgery.

(b)

Product or device events such as, but not limited to, deaths or serious injuries associated with malfunctioning devices, contaminated drugs, devices or biologics, and intravascular air embolism.

(c)

Patient protection events such as, but not limited to, switched babies, patient disappearances where the patient lacks decision-making capacity, and suicides and attempted suicides of patients while admitted.

(d)

Care management events such as, but not limited to, patient deaths or serious injuries resulting from medication errors, administration of incompatible blood or blood-products, labor or delivery, hypoglycemia, severe ulcers acquired after admission, and spinal manipulation therapy.

(e)

Environmental events such as, but not limited to, patient deaths or serious injuries resulting from electrical shock, gas line errors, burns, falls, and the use of restraints or bedrails.

(f)

Criminal events such as, but not limited to, impersonation of physicians or other providers, patient abductions, sexual assaults on patients, and patient or staff deaths or significant injuries due to physical assaults.

(Ord. 4438, 09/09/08: Ord. 4324, 08/15/06)