The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations sentinel event data reports patient death
or permanent injury due to delays in treatment can occur in any hospital unit or other health care settings.
Of fifty-five reported cases of delays in treatment, twenty-nine were Emergency Department related, twenty-six
cases originated in hospital intensive care units, medical-surgical units, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, freestanding
and hospital-based ambulatory care service, operating rooms, and in the home care setting. Fifty-two of the
fifty-five cases, identified as delays in treatment, resulted in patient death.
For more information on this topic visit the JCAHO Web site at, www.jcaho,org .