Incident reports in healthcare are used to document what types of events?

Incident reports in healthcare serve a critical function in documenting events that pose risks to patient safety and overall healthcare operations. The primary purpose of these reports is to capture occurrences such as accidents, thefts, and slips or falls, which can have significant implications for patient care and facility liability. By documenting these events, healthcare organizations can analyze the circumstances surrounding them, identify patterns or trends, and implement necessary corrective measures to enhance safety and prevent future incidents.

The focus on accidents and safety incidents differentiates these reports from other types of documentation within healthcare operations. Routine patient appointments, regular staff evaluations, and patient satisfaction surveys do not typically fall under the category of what constitutes an incident report. Instead, they serve different administrative and evaluative functions, such as managing scheduling, assessing staff performance, and gathering patient feedback, respectively. Therefore, option B accurately captures the essence of incident reports as tools for documenting adverse events that require attention and resolution in the healthcare setting.