What it means
An event that could have hurt a client but did not, because someone noticed in time or by luck. An example is a nurse finding that a drug was set up for the wrong client before giving it. Near misses show weak points in a system, so reporting them helps prevent future harm. Some facilities call them "good catches."
For the nurse
Report near misses through the facility's reporting system the same way as errors that reach a client. The goal is to fix the process, not to blame the person who reported it.
At a glance
| Also written | near misses |
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Related terms
sentinel event
An unexpected event in health care that causes a client's death, permanent harm or severe temporary harm.
quality assurance
An organized way of checking that care meets set standards and of fixing problems when it does not.
incident report
A written record of an unexpected event in a health care setting that caused or could have caused harm.