The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The 75th issue of "HA Risk Alert" was published today (October 25) by the Hospital Authority (HA) as a risk management and communication initiative to further strengthen the reporting and monitoring of clinical incidents in public hospitals.

     In the second quarter of 2024 (April to June), five sentinel events were reported, comprising three cases of retained instruments/material after surgery/interventional procedures, one case of a wrong body part and one case in another category. In addition, there are 24 reported serious untoward events related to medication errors.

     "Subsequent to the incident reviews and analyses of the root causes of these incidents, important lessons for patient safety have been identified, while recommendations are made and shared in this publication to avoid similar events in the future," an HA spokesperson said.

     The HA Head Office has released the latest "HA Risk Alert" to all staff. It can also be accessed by the public at www.ha.org.hk/riskalert. "HA Risk Alert" is published on a quarterly basis and posted on the HA website on the last working Friday in the months of January, April, July and October. The next issue is scheduled for January 24, 2025 (Friday).

Ends/Friday, October 25, 2024
Issued at HKT 16:00

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