The Joint Commission and NQF Unite to Streamline Safety Event Reporting
- By January 1, 2027, an updated Serious Reportable Events (SRE) list will go into effect.
- The new list is due to a partnership by the Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF) after combining the Joint Commission’s Sentinel Events (SE) List and NQF’s recently updated Serious Reportable Events (SRE) List.
- The goal is to streamline safety event reporting and reduce cost and confusion.
In a major effort to cut down on paperwork and strengthen patient safety, The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum (NQF) have announced that they are aligning their serious safety event reporting system lists.
Starting January 1, 2027, The Joint Commission will adopt the updated NQF’s Serious Reportable Events (SRE) List for all accredited domestic and international healthcare organizations.
What Does This Change Mean?
This change means that the two organizations will now have one standardized system for reporting safety events in healthcare workplaces, rather than two overlapping ones. The report notes that as many as 1 in 4 Americans are harmed during a hospital stay, so the hope is that streamlined and updated safety guidelines can help prevent that.
Importantly, three major workplace safety events will remain part of the revised SRE list, acknowledging that protecting healthcare workers is a vital component of patient safety:
- Homicide
- Sexual abuse or assault
- Physical assault of staff
“This marks a significant step toward simplifying safety event reporting for clinicians, hospitals, and health systems worldwide, reducing duplicative reporting tasks and allowing them to focus more on making care safer,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Joint Commission.
“Establishing a common standard for measuring and tracking patient safety events will not only reduce reporting burden, it also will enhance the quality and completeness of safety event data," he continued.
"With a clearer, more comprehensive picture of these events, healthcare organizations globally can direct their improvement efforts where they are needed most, making care safer and more effective for every patient," he summarized.
Elizabeth Mort, MD, MPH, vice president and chief medical officer, Joint Commission, also touched on the fact that the new list reflects emerging and shifting safety trends in healthcare. The list was last updated in 2011, and since then, safety risks and safety events have changed.
“Since the SRE List was last updated in 2011, the landscape of healthcare delivery has evolved in profound ways," she noted. "New care models and modalities have emerged, and care is now delivered in a wide range of traditional and non-traditional approaches. The newly updated list more accurately reflects today’s modern healthcare environment.”
When Do the Changes Go Into Effect?
The goal is for the change to go into effect Jan 1, 2027. However, the Joint Commission stated it will provide technical support throughout 2026 to help organizations prepare for the transition to the new system.
This move follows both organizations' 2023 affiliation and ongoing commitment to reduce the reporting burden across healthcare. The hope is that, along with making financial sense, the streamlined and updated list will better predict safety risks, help leaders prevent them, and manage safety events when they do happen.
What Do the Changes Mean for Nurses?
Simplified safety reporting can give bedside nurses more time to focus on patient care and unit-based safety improvements. The shift to unified reporting could also bring clearer data on where errors occur, helping nurses and leaders target systemic issues in safety culture improvement efforts.
Nurses are encouraged to:
- Stay informed about updates from The Joint Commission and their individual facilities’ quality departments.
- Participate in upcoming safety and quality training related to the new reporting structure.
- Provide input on how reporting changes can best support frontline workflow and patient safety initiatives.
As this alignment takes shape, nurses’ voices will be vital to ensuring that simplified reporting truly leads to safer care, for patients and providers alike.
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