North Carolina CNA Written Practice Exam

If no injury results from an accident, what action is still necessary?

1. Notify family members

2. Complete an incident report

3. Ignore the incident

4. Document in the medical chart

The correct answer is: Complete an incident report

Completing an incident report is essential even if no injury has resulted from an accident. Incident reports serve multiple purposes, including documenting the event for future reference, contributing to organizational knowledge, and identifying patterns that could help improve safety and prevent similar incidents in the future. This formal documentation creates an official record that can assist healthcare facilities in evaluating their processes and policies, thus enhancing the overall safety of patients and staff. While notifying family members, ignoring the incident, or documenting in the medical chart may seem relevant, they are not standardized procedures for non-injury incidents. For instance, family notifications are typically reserved for significant events impacting a patient’s care or wellbeing, while medical charts are focused on patient status and treatment rather than safety incidents. Therefore, completing an incident report is a necessary step to maintain accountability and foster a proactive safety culture within healthcare settings.