• Rahul K Khare, Brad Uren, and Robert L Wears.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Northwestern University-The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA. rkhare@mac.com
• Qual Manag Health Care. 2005 Apr 1;14(2):91-4.

ObjectivesIt is generally understood that errors occur during patient care in the emergency department (ED). However, the errors that are reported likely represent a fraction of those that occur. Increasing the error reporting rate would allow for more opportunities to investigate the root causes of errors and improve systems design as part of a continuous quality improvement (CQI) process. We present a model Web-based system for reporting of errors that occur in patient care in the ED.MethodsWe propose a Web-based system of error reporting. Utilizing Web technology permits secure, timely, and, optionally, anonymous reporting of errors. The Web page is readily accessible to users within the medical center. Reporting may be anonymous or the reporters may identify themselves. The reports are sorted by the user and entered based on the type of error and sent to a secure database. The database can be regularly reviewed by a designated person as part of an ongoing CQI process. CQI committees should then have more useful data to reference when designing system improvements.ConclusionsA Web-based error reporting implemented in this manner may improve error reporting because of the convenience it offers and the option of anonymity. More reporting should create more opportunities for system improvement.

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