A structured approach for the investigation of clinical incidents in health care: application in a general practice setting.

The NHS has made patent safety a national priority. A particular challenge is to ensure that lessons are learned from clinical incidents and that individuals and agencies take corrective action. A structured approach for the investigation of clinical incidents in health care is introduced and an example of its application in a general practice setting is presented The framework was originally developed for the investigation and analysis of incidents in hospitals, but the approach could also find application in general practice.