The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The 70th issue of "HA Risk Alert" was published today (July 28) 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 first quarter of 2023 (January to March), six sentinel events were reported, comprising five cases of retained instrument/material after surgery/interventional procedure and one case of inpatient suicide. Among the 22 reported serious untoward events, there were 20 related to medication errors and two patient misidentifications.
 
     "Subsequent to the incident review and analysis 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," the 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 October 27, 2023 (Friday).

Ends/Friday, July 28, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:00

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