Opportunities of CIRS in Prehospital Emergency Medicine

Medical errors frequently contribute to morbidity and mortality. Prehospital emergency medicine is prone to incidents that can lead to severe consequences. We analyzed the first nation-wide critical incidents reporting system database to find out key errors and to develop preventive strategies. In 2005, a free internet website was set up with an anonymous reporting system for emergency medical service personal. After a 7-year period, an expert team analyzed the cases for re-occurring systematic weaknesses. 961 reports were entered and analyzed. Ten key issues were identified via a root-cause analysis and preventive measures formulated. CIRS is a powerful tool to identify weaknesses in prehospital emergency medicine and to suggest improvements. There is an ongoing need for CIRS to improve patient's safety in a high-risk medical field such as emergency medicine.