#Japan #Nagoya #Patient Safety #Nagoya University #Zeroharm

Zeroharm Inc. to Commercialize Incident Reporting System

Zeroharm Inc., a company certified as a venture from Nagoya University located in Nagoya, Aichi, is set to launch a commercial version of the incident reporting system developed by the Nagoya University Hospital in 2026. This initiative aims to enhance patient safety across healthcare facilities nationwide. Before the official launch, the company will offer a beta version of the system, named "Zeroharm β", allowing 20 selected facilities to use it free of charge.

Background and Collaboration with Nagoya University Hospital

Nagoya University Hospital (NNUH) is notable for being the only national university hospital in Japan with accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), a global healthcare facility evaluation organization. The hospital has actively pursued efforts to ensure patient safety, which has led to the development of an extensive incident report system, aimed at preventing medical accidents through systematic analysis of reported incidents.

Led by Professor Nogi Yoshimasa from the Hospital's Patient Safety Promotion Department, the research group has been working on structuring and operationalizing medical incident reports generated from near misses and actual incidents. This system provides valuable data to measure the safety of the hospital and inform actionable improvements.

Using machine learning techniques, the research team successfully quantified the severity and culpability of incidents caused by healthcare providers, correlating these findings with prior analyses conducted by patient safety experts at the hospital. The research outcomes have been recognized in prominent journals such as the Journal of Medical Systems and BMJ Health Care Informatics, marking a significant advancement in evaluating patient safety standards using data-driven methodologies.

Key Features of Zeroharm Incident Reporting System

The forthcoming commercial incident reporting system will empower other hospitals to leverage the 120,000 incident reports accumulated by Nagoya University Hospital for safety evaluation through AI-powered analysis. This innovative approach is expected to significantly contribute to the prevention of medical accidents and ensure patient safety across the country.

The features of Zeroharm include:
1. Cloud Technology Integration: Enhanced usability through cloud-based infrastructure tailored to meet the needs of various healthcare settings.
2. Ease of Reporting: Designed to facilitate effortless incident reporting while ensuring thorough analysis and response capabilities, aiming for the elimination of medical harm.
3. Anonymous Reporting Options: To encourage open communication and reduce psychological stress for reporters, Zeroharm allows for anonymous submission of incident reports.
4. Rapid Data Processing: Capable of generating reports in an average of six minutes by streamlining the necessary fields for reporting.
5. AI Risk Assessment: The system utilizes AI trained on a large dataset to objectively categorize risks and priorities which assists managers in efficiently addressing incidents.
6. Visualization of Risk Trends: By analyzing various incident categories, the system can illustrate risk trends, aiding in proactively preventing serious occurrences.

The vision for Zeroharm embraces real-time safety assessments, interhospital safety comparisons, and the prediction of incidents, ultimately striving for continuous advancement in patient safety.

Statements from Leadership

Professor Nogi Yoshimasa stated, "Human error is an inherent part of practice. Our challenge is to minimize the impact of mistakes on patient well-being and promote a culture where every incident serves as a learning opportunity. The Zeroharm β program embodies this vision and allows users to contribute towards enhancing its effectiveness."

In conclusion, Zeroharm Inc. and Nagoya University Hospital remain committed to continual risk analysis and improving the precision of measuring healthcare safety. The beta program is currently open for participation, inviting healthcare facilities to take part in this transformative initiative. More information is available at Zeroharm's official website.