The document provides a summary of sentinel event data reported in Utah from 2009. 101 sentinel events were reported in 2009, with 54 being surgical or procedural events. The most common type of event reported was related to retained foreign objects during surgical procedures. Initiatives are underway in Utah to address common safety issues identified in the data like retained foreign objects and to improve reporting and identification of sentinel events.

1. 2009 Utah Sentinel Events
Data Report
Identifying Opportunities for Improvement
A joint report from
March 2010

2. About this report
The purpose of this report is to provide information on the
sentinel event data collected from January-December 2009 by
the Utah Department of Health. Facilities participating in the
data collection include all Utah hospitals and ambulatory
surgical centers.
Included in this report is a historical overview of the collection
process, details of the data collection and the collaborative
efforts underway to address issues identified in the data.

3. Overview of sentinel event reporting in Utah
In 2001 the Utah Department of Health (UDOH), in response to the publication “To Err is
Human,” initiated a patient safety program in partnership with the Utah Hospitals & Health
Systems Association (UHA), Utah Medical Association (UMA), and HealthInsight, the Quality
Improvement Organization for Utah. Quality and risk managers representing the healthcare
sector collaborated as a learning group to better identify actual and potential events and to
develop system-wide, sustainable safeguards to prevent these events in the future. The
reporting system was deliberately designed to shift away from a traditional “focus of blame”
and instead encourage a “just” culture for collaborative system improvement.
Sentinel events by their nature, are rare events. Although sentinel events are not always
medical errors, they are indicators of system breakdown. Sentinel events can be devastating
experiences to patients, their families, and their healthcare providers. Identification of these
events across hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers provides opportunity for system-wide
learning and the development of industry-based improvement strategies.
Between October 2001 and April 2007, sentinel events, defined as unanticipated deaths, wrong
site surgeries, abductions, and loss of function that occur at a facility (hospital or ambulatory
surgical center) directly related to any clinical service were required to be reported to the Utah
Department of Health. During that time period there were eight general categories reported.
On average, between 30 and 40 events a year were identified and reported.
In an effort to improve reporting, the Sentinel Event Users Group (SEUG) now named the
Patient Safety Work Group (PSWG), comprised of representatives from UHA, UMA,
HealthInsight and UDOH, worked diligently to increase the types of events reported and the
ease of reporting these events. Consequently, an administrative rule change was implemented
mid-2007 to expand the type of events reported from eight general categories to 32 specific
categories. The motivation for such a change was to be able to compare the Utah experience
with national experiences and data. Additionally, in late 2008, the reporting process changed
from a faxed document and manual data entry done by the UDOH Patient Safety Director to a
secure, web-based reporting portal. This reporting change now supports individual facilities,
offering the ability to download all of their reports and to conduct internal trend analyses.
The primary goal of the Utah Patient Safety Program is to create a robust surveillance system
capturing the incidence of sentinel events occurring in hospitals and ambulatory care centers.
This has been a work-in-progress and as the system has improved, the number of events
reported has increased. When comparing Utah’s voluntary program to Minnesota’s mandated
data collection process, both states are very comparable in terms of the number of incidents
reported per population size. Working with a volunteer users group, building trust for safe
reporting, streamlining the reporting process, and expanding the categories of reportable
events are all factors contributing to the increase in events reported in 2009. Population
growth, an increase in the number of available beds as well as the increase in ambulatory
surgical centers operating in Utah may also play a role in increased reporting.

4. 2009 sentinel event data for Utah
The following section provides information on the types and frequency of sentinel events (SE)
reported by hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers for the period January-December 2009.
In 2009, there were 101 sentinel events reported overall for the state of Utah. Fifty-four of
these events were surgical or procedural events. For perspective, more than 152,000 hospital
based outpatient surgeries were performed in Utah in 2008.1 There were more than 262,000
hospital discharges in 2008, with surgeries comprising approximately one-quarter of all
discharges.
The following table identifies the growth in sentinel event reporting as the process has become
more streamlined and additional reporting categories were added with the 2007 rule change.
120
100
2001-2009 101
# SE Reported
80 80 80
60
52
44 42
40 37
36
20
4
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Utah’s growth in reported sentinel events mirrors what is happening on a national basis as
hospitals continue to work toward improved accountability. According to The Joint Commission,
sentinel events rose in six of the 10 areas reported nationally in 2009.
1
AHA Hospital Statistics, 2008 edition.

5. Types of Occurrences
Utah again mirrors the national data reported to The Joint Commission regarding the type of
occurrences and the number of reported events, with “surgical/procedure” events being the
top concern. Events included in this category include “incorrect surgery or patient, wrong body
part, retained foreign object, and interoperative deaths.” Twenty-five of the 58 reported events
in the Surgical/Procedure category were related to retained foreign objects, with many of these
events occurring with obstetrical/gynecological patients.
70
60 58
2009 Sentinel Events by Occurrence
50 Type
40
30
20 18
12
9
10
3
1
0

6. Patient Age Distribution
The following table reflects the age distribution of those patients involved in sentinel events in
2009. As previously stated, 25 of the 58 reported events in the Surgical/Procedure category
were related to retained foreign objects, with many of these events occurring with
obstetrical/gynecological patients. The patient age distribution reflects those individuals of
child-bearing age who may have experienced a retained foreign object sentinel event. The
largest age group experiencing “surgical/procedure” sentinel events continues to be the 66-85
year old cohort. In 2008, seniors comprised more than 17% of all discharges for Utah residents.
The Patient Safety Work Group has identified Retained Foreign Objects as an area of primary
concern, and will be offering best practices protocol to Utah hospitals to improve care in this
area. More information is available in the Utah Patient Safety Initiatives portion of this report.
25
2009 SE - by Age
20
15
10
5
0

7. Utah Patient Safety Initiatives
Opportunities for improvement are abundant as a result of Utah’s voluntary sentinel event
reporting initiative. Efforts are underway to review the 2009 report, to drill down in a
confidential manner to determine failure patterns and improvement opportunities, and to
design statewide improvement efforts. The following is an overview of the work being done to
address the results of the sentinel event data as well as other patient safety concerns.
Retained Foreign Objects--The top concern identified in the 2009 data is the issue of “retained
foreign objects.” Efforts are currently underway by the Patient Safety Work Group to publish a
position paper based on current standards related to the unintended retention of a foreign
body. Upon completion, this paper will be shared with all hospitals for systems improvement
purposes. The group will also execute a “drill down” exercise to identify specific actions and
best practices for reducing the number of these events among facilities.
C3 Initiative—The Utah C3 initiative is committed to assuring that the correct procedure is
performed at the correct site on the correct patient. In 2005, the Utah Patient Safety Steering
Committee adopted statewide guidelines for all hospitals and surgical centers to voluntary
follow to reduce surgical errors. The guidelines include procedural recommendations for site
marking, “time out” procedures and patient verification. To review these guidelines, go to
http://www.uha-utah.org/patientsafety/patientsafety.htm.
Utah CheckPoint—Found at http://utcheckpoint.org/, this website provides reliable data on 14
interventions that medical experts agree should be taken to treat heart attacks, heart failure
and pneumonia. CheckPoint is designed to help Utah citizens learn more about health care and
makes evidence-based health information publicly available and understandable. Additionally,
CheckPoint assists hospitals in continuously improving their performance, and, thereby,
improving the overall quality of care provided to Utah citizens. Utah CheckPoint is a joint effort
between UHA, Utah Hospitals & Health Systems Association and HealthInsight, the quality
improvement organization (QIO) for Utah.
Healthcare Associated Infections—Nosocomial infections, also known as Healthcare-Associated
Infections (HAIs) pose a significant burden on patients and their care within the healthcare
system. Many patients enter a hospital with decreased immunity and are undergoing complex
and invasive procedures introducing different routes of possible infection. The Healthcare-
Associated Infection Work Group (HAIWG) was established to provide recommendations for the
surveillance and prevention of these HAIs in Utah hospitals. This workgroup has utilized the
FMEA process to ascertain process improvements used to reduce infections related to central
line associated bloodstream infections. For more information on this project, go to
http://www.uha-utah.org/patientsafety/patientsafety.htm
“Never Events” Policy Guidelines—In 2008, UHA’s board of trustees adopted guidelines related
to the non-payment for certain conditions caused by medical error. Utah hospitals agreed not
to seek payment for costs associated with the occurrence of a serious event if an investigation
by the hospital determines that the event was reasonably preventable and was within the

8. control of the hospital. The list included in these guidelines details the serious events for which
a hospital will not seek payment if the hospital determines them to be preventable and within
the hospital’s control. The guidelines were distributed to all hospital members for inclusion in
their individual hospital’s policy.
Standardized Patient Wristband Initiative—In 2008, UHA members worked together to reach
consensus on standard colors for patient wristbands in our state. This standardization will
alleviate confusion for staff working at multiple facilities. The color “red” has been standardized
to serve as an “allergy” alert; “yellow” indicates a fall risk, and “purple” indicates “Do Not
Resuscitate.”
Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)—Three different workgroups have utilized the “Failure
Mode Effects Analysis” technique to determine approaches to reduce the risk of error in
inpatient settings. Two of the analyses took place under the guidance of the Medication Safety
Workgroup. The third analysis was undertaken by members of the Healthcare Associated
Infection work group. More information on this project can be found at http://www.uha-
utah.org/patientsafety/patientsafety.htm
Utah PricePoint—Found at http://utpricepoint.org/ , this Web site allows health care
consumers to receive basic information about inpatient services and charges at Utah’s
hospitals. Utah PricePoint is a joint effort between UHA, Utah Hospitals & Health Systems
Association and the Utah Dept. of Health.
MedCard Initiative—The MedCard initiative is designed to help patients and their families
create and maintain a list of medications currently being used. This is an important first step in
the event of an admission to a hospital, helping in the medication reconciliation process and
thereby reducing the possibility of adverse drug interactions. This initiative, developed and
supported by the Medication Safety Workgroup, offers the MedCard in various forms and is
available for download at http://www.uha-utah.org/patientsafety/medication/MedRec.htm
Safe Patient Lifting Practices—In 2006 UHA convened a workgroup to review and develop state
standards for the transport and lifting of patients. The workgroup explored various options and
after several months of work developed voluntary guidelines for safe patient lifting practices for
the protection of healthcare workers and patients alike.
Healthcare Information Technology—UHA, UMA and other members of the healthcare
community are heavily involved in several projects with the Utah Health Information Network
(UHIN). One of the biggest projects is the cHIE, or Clinical Health Information Exchange
initiative. When completed, this project will allow the transfer of clinical data between
providers, improving the quality of care and alleviating duplication of clinical tests. Another
major effort, ARCHES, will attempt to improve the statewide infrastructure for the transfer of
clinical information between facilities.

9. This report was prepared in cooperation with the Utah Department of Health, HealthInsight and
UHA, Utah Hospitals & Health Systems Association.
For more information on Utah’s Patient Safety Initiatives, go to http://health.utah.gov/psi/.