How should near-miss events be treated in OR safety programs?

• A. A near-miss is an event that could have caused harm but did not; it should be reported and reviewed for root cause.
• B. A near-miss is the same as a reported injury.
• C. Near-misses are not reportable.
• D. Near-misses refer to equipment failures that occurred.

Answer: (B)

Near-miss events are safety signals that something in the system could have caused harm, even though no harm actually occurred. In OR safety programs, these events should be reported promptly and documented with enough detail to understand what happened, where, who was involved, what equipment or steps were involved, and what factors contributed. The purpose is to learn from the incident by conducting a root-cause analysis and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Emphasize a non-punitive reporting culture so team members feel safe to report near-misses, which strengthens overall patient safety. By analyzing these events, teams can improve checklists, workflows, labeling, equipment maintenance, communication, and handoff procedures, reducing the chance that a similar situation leads to an actual harm in the future.