Adverse Events

RNZCGP advise that general practices should remain on the 2017 National Adverse Events Policy at this stage, rather than transitioning to the new 2023 National Adverse Events Policy. RNZCGP are still working with HQSC to identify how the new national policy will apply to general practice.

Policy

An adverse event is an incident that happens as a result of patient health care, e.g. vaccination reactions, medication or treatment errors, or missed screening recalls. It includes events that could have, or did, cause harm to a patient.

We have systems in place for reporting, reviewing, and learning from adverse events. Our practice complies with the HQSC National Adverse Events Policy 2017.

We assess the severity of adverse events using the Health Quality & Safety Commission's Severity Assessment Criteria.

All adverse events are investigated and managed by following the incident management procedure. All Level 1 and 2 adverse events are reported to the Health Quality & Safety Commission, and to Pegasus Health.

We communicate openly and fully with any patient involved in an adverse event.

See also Open Disclosure.

Managing and reporting adverse events

1. Assess the severity of the event using:
   • HQSC: Severity Assessment Code rating and triage tool for adverse event reporting
   • Primary Care Severity Assessment Code (SAC) examples 2024
2. If the event is SAC Level 1 or 2:
   • contact HQSC for advice about about reporting.
   • Advise your PHO.
3. Report all adverse drug reactions to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM).
4. Investigate and review the event by following the incident management procedure. Document all findings and recommendations.

See also Incident Reporting Guidelines.

Resources

• HQSC: National Adverse Events Reporting Policy and Resources
• HQSC: How to engage with consumers following an adverse event

Keywords: adverse events, adverse reactions, sentinel events, significant event, reportable events, notifiable events, accident