Results of a Hospitalwide Critical Incident Reporting System (CIRS)

It is an important aim of quality and risk management in the Spital-region St. Gallen Rorschach (Switzerland) to improve patient safety. The St. Gallen CIRS framework is a standard procedure consisting of a systematic work up of critical incidents. Critical incidents which do not harm the patient are reported in an anonymous system. This system is an interprofessional und interdisciplinary framework which was introduced in the hospital over a period of two years. The incidents were grouped into three categories of potential severity: life-threatening, intervention needed, no measures necessary. During the two-year period from 2003 to 2004, 1470 critical incidents were reported and analysed. The reporting led to the introduction of more than 200 measures of improvement, proving the efficacy of the system. Further steps will consists in the monitoring and the analysis of these improvement measures. The St. Gallen CIRS framework is an example for the successful introduction of quality improvement by systematical reporting of critical incidents.