What is the primary goal of a near-miss reporting system in healthcare safety?

• A. To identify and fix system vulnerabilities before harm occurs.
• B. To increase incident counts to drive policy changes.
• C. To assign blame to staff involved in near misses.
• D. To standardize documentation across units.

Answer: (B)

The main goal of near-miss reporting in healthcare safety is to identify weaknesses in how work is done so changes can be made before harm occurs. By examining near misses, teams uncover process gaps, equipment issues, or human factors that could lead to harm and implement fixes to prevent recurrence. This is a proactive, system-oriented approach, not about boosting report counts for policy change, blaming staff, or simply standardizing paperwork. Blame-free reporting supports learning and improvement, while standardization helps consistency, but the primary aim remains preventing harm by strengthening the system.