Table 1

: Common Characteristics of Never Events

Characteristics found in never event definitions
Organisation	Preventability	Harm or severity	Accountability or transparency
NQF10	Largely preventable	Serious and adverse	Important for public transparency
CMS3	Usually preventable	Serious and/or adverse	Important for public credibility and/or accountability
NHS1	Wholly preventable when guidance or safety recommendations have been implemented	Potential to cause serious patient harm or death	Not addressed by this definition
CPSI2	Preventable by using organisational checks and balances	Results in serious patient harm or death	Not addressed by this definition
OMEDIT14	Preventable	Not addressed by this definition	Not addressed by this definition
Cigna21	Not addressed by this definition	Not addressed by this definition	Not addressed by this definition
Leapfrog13	Always preventable	Always harmful to patients	Not addressed by this definition
UHA Health Insurance22	Preventable	Serious in consequence to patient	Indicate a real problem in the safety and credibility of the facility

CMS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; CPSI, Canadian Patient Safety Institute; NHS, National Health Service; NQF, National Quality Forum; OMEDIT, Observatoire de Medicament, des Dispotifs Medicaux et de l’Innovation Therapeutique; UHA, University Health Alliance.