Sentinel Event

A sentinel event is a serious, unexpected incident in a healthcare setting that results in death, severe injury, or serious harm to a patient. These events signal that something has gone wrong in the quality or safety of care and require immediate investigation and response. Examples include medication errors, surgical mistakes, or patient falls causing serious injury. The goal is to identify root causes, prevent future occurrences, and improve patient safety by learning from these critical incidents. Sentinel events help healthcare providers ensure high standards of care and minimize risks for patients.