A problem after care: how can you prepare a safety report?

A problem occurring after care first needs a response appropriate to your health condition. In a medical emergency, call 15 or 112 in France; completing a safety report does not replace emergency care.

A care-associated adverse event is an unfavourable, unexpected event connected with care, distinct from the natural course of the illness. Its occurrence alone does not establish that an individual was at fault.

Prepare a chronological account: the care involved, date, location, observed change and consequences. Include measures already taken and keep relevant documents. Separate what you observed from explanations that still need to be checked.

Present this account to the team that cared for you and ask for explanations about the event and follow-up. HAS emphasises that the patient’s account contributes useful information to analysing causes and improving care safety.

Patients can also report a care-associated event affecting them to the institution and the regional health agency (ARS), through a dedicated patient route on the national reporting portal. The care team can explain the procedure.

Reporting helps understand causes and prevent recurrence. If you also want a complaint or compensation request examined, explain that aim to the care team: HAS describes several possible routes, including the institution’s users’ commission.