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NCC MERP Supports Principles for Patient Safety Reporting Programs November 25, 2003 Rockville, Maryland—The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) announced today its support for the General Principles for Patient Safety Reporting Systems. These principles were developed and approved by a working group of nearly 100 national organizations representing healthcare professionals and other health organizations. The working group has developed a set of general principles that it believes are essential for patient safety reporting systems. These principles encourage the reporting and evaluation of health care error information and the sharing of such information with others.NCC MERP believes that healthcare professionals and organizations should be encouraged to report, evaluate and prevent healthcare errors as well as to share their experiences with others. "It is essential that hospitals, health care systems and health care providers work together to encourage reporting of medication errors," said John Combes, M.D., chair of NCC MERP and delegate from the American Hospital Association (AHA). "Only through such joint efforts can the culture of blame be diminished and success be measured. We all are invested in ensuring patients receive the best care possible in the safest environment." The principles underscore the point that, for error reporting systems to be effective, they must be nonpunitive, provide appropriate confidentiality and legal protections, and facilitate learning about errors and their solutions. The principles are: Creating an Environment for Safety. There should be a nonpunitive culture for reporting healthcare errors that focuses on preventing and correcting systems failures and not on individual or organization culpability. Data Analysis. Information submitted to reporting systems must be comprehensively analyzed to identify actions that would minimize the risk that reported events recur. Confidentiality. Confidentiality protections for patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare organizations are essential to the ability of any reporting system to learn about errors and effect their reduction. Information Sharing. Reporting systems should facilitate the sharing of patient safety information among healthcare organizations and foster confidential collaboration with other healthcare reporting systems. Legal Status of Reporting System Information. The absence of federal protection for information submitted to patient safety reporting systems discourages the use of such systems, which reduces the opportunity to identify trends and implement corrective measures. Information developed in connection with reporting systems should be privileged for purposes of federal and state judicial proceedings in civil matters, and for purposes of federal and state administrative proceedings, including with respect to discovery, subpoenas, testimony, or any other form of disclosure. NCC MERP believes that all five of these principles are essential elements of any effective patient safety reporting system. The Council hopes that the principles will be informative to healthcare organizations, associations, and policymakers and encourages others to embrace and support them. To request a copy of the General Principles for Patient Safety Reporting Systems, please send an email to mediarelations@usp.org. # # # # The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) was founded in 1995 to promote the reporting, understanding and prevention of medication errors. The Council comprises health-related organizations, societies and agencies, including medicine, pharmacy and nursing groups, consumer groups, standards-setting and federal regulatory bodies, and manufacturers. The Council’s goals are to examine and evaluate the causes of medication errors; increase awareness of medication errors and methods of prevention throughout the health care system; recommend strategies relative to system modifications, practice standards and guidelines; stimulate development and use of medication error reporting and evaluation systems; and stimulate reporting to a national system for review, analysis and development of recommendations to reduce and prevent medication errors. NCC MERP FY0403N © 1998–2008 National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention. All Rights Reserved. *Permission is hereby granted to reproduce information contained herein provided that such reproduction shall not modify the text and shall include the copyright notice appearing on the pages from which it was copied.