Hobart Occupational Medicine has introduced Adverse Event Reporting to flag issues that arise in managing patients with comps enable injuries.
The report format is included below:
What is an Adverse Event?
Any act or omission by a participant in the injury management process (in its broadest sense), breakdown in communication or unplanned event that has the potential to significantly affect a worker’s recovery or rehabilitation following a work-related injury or the development of disease.
The focus is on events that might contribute to psychological illness, (including depression and anxiety states) affect recovery from injuries or delay or prevent effective treatment recommended by the treating practitioners.
What is the purpose of an Adverse Event Report?
The prime objective of Adverse Event Reporting is to provide data to help direct prevention efforts, both within the medical practice completing the report and more generally with the other key participants in the system. The system adopts the same principle as accident and incident reporting aimed at injury prevention i.e. by collating and analysing all types of adverse events, trends and patterns can emerge relevant to prevention activity as well as to assist consideration of remedial action where adverse events occur.
What are the Adverse Event Categories?
The different categories are designed to help analysis, by categorizing the types of events. For example, an Adverse Event related to Claims Management might occur when a patient suffers adverse consequences due to an Independent Medical Examination or Surveillance. An Adverse Event relating to Medical Management might relate to inappropriate treatment or a reaction to medication. A decision about a patient’s employment might lead to an adverse event categorized as “Employment”.
What is Action Taken?
This can include any action taken by the doctor completing the form in response to the event, including communication about the event, referral for additional treatment or certification of associated incapacity.
Who Should Receive Copies?
That is up to the doctor completing the form, subject to patient consent. Generally the Compensation System Regulator is the minimum requirement, but the patient, their rehabilitation provider; employer contact or insurance claims officer can also be included as appropriate. In the case of WorkCover Tasmania, Mr Damian Davidson is the usual contact.
