1. Who should apply the coding?
This is a local decision; however we recommend initially establishing a local multidisciplinary implementation team to support staff applying the coding in a consistent way.
Once the application of the coding has been established, the department can determine at a local level who is best placed to apply the coding. The individual applying the coding may need to seek further information from the staff involved in the event or who identified the event.
2. When should the coding be applied to an incident or near miss event?
Apply the coding taxonomy once the investigation has been completed, to ensure all elements of the taxonomy relevant to the event are considered.
This includes Severity, exposure type, intended modality, performed modality, patient pathway codes and contributory factors.
3. Can I apply more than one patient pathway code or contributory factor code to an incident?
Yes, all relevant patient pathway and contributory factor codes should be applied.
4. If during an investigation a theme is identified over a number of incidents - would I need to change the severity level of the previous incidents?
The severity level of the previous incident(s) should not be changed as this was accurate at the time of investigation.
The current incident should be coded as a level 1 severity.
5. Do I still need to report notifiable events to the regulators?
Yes, reporting to this national incident learning system does not replace statutory reporting requirements.
6. Can you provide me with a trend analysis of my local data?
No, the data in our reports is fully anonymised.
7. Extravasation of contrast- should I apply the coding taxonomy to this event?
The coding taxonomy should be applied to incidents where extravasation of contrast renders the images undiagnostic and leads to the examination being repeated.