What is the purpose of an incident report?

• A. To document routine tasks.
• B. To document unusual or harmful events, injuries, or safety concerns and communicate with the care team and supervisor.
• C. To track medication administration.
• D. To log environmental maintenance issues.

Answer: (B)

An incident report captures events that are unusual, harmful, or pose a safety concern for the person you’re caring for. It records key details such as what happened, who was involved, when and where it occurred, the harm or risk observed, and any immediate actions taken. The purpose is to communicate with the rest of the care team and the supervisor so they can respond promptly, adjust the care plan if needed, and implement steps to prevent similar events in the future. This is different from documenting routine tasks or standard logs like medications or environmental checks, which are handled in other systems. By documenting these incidents, you help protect safety and support quality improvement and accountability.