The Joint Commission releases new sentinel event data

Editor's Note

The Joint Commission on September 7 released sentinel event data for the first 6 months of 2022.

Of 832 events reviewed this year from January 1 to June 30, the top 10 most frequently reported were:

• Falls—199
• Unintended retention of foreign objects—30
• Suicides—26
• Delays in treatment—25
• Wrong surgery—19
• Assault/rape/sexual assaults—16
• Medication management—12
• Self-harm—11
• Fires—10
• Clinical alarm response—7.

Because less than 2% of all sentinel events are reported, no conclusions should be drawn about the actual frequency of these events or trends, The Joint Commission says.