Streamlining incident reporting system: A lean approach to enhance patient and staff safety in a Middle Eastern prehospital emergency care setting

Incident reporting in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is vital for enhancing patient safety and system performance, but time constraints often impede efficient documentation. Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service Group (HMCASG) implemented a streamlined “Occurrence, Variance, and Accident” (OVA) reporting system to address these challenges. This study evaluated the effectiveness of this system in reducing incident report completion time. A “Lean” approach was used to streamline the reporting process. Four-hundred eighty-two OVA reports (241 baseline, 241 post-intervention) submitted between September 13 and October 8, 2022, were analyzed. The time taken to complete an OVA report was measured. Statistical analyses included Student t-tests, bivariate regression, and a Shewhart control chart. The mean time to complete an OVA report decreased significantly from 328.9 to 145.09 seconds (p < 0.05). The Shewhart control chart visually demonstrated the intervention's impact, while regression analysis confirmed its significance (p = 0.007). The streamlined OVA reporting system significantly reduced reporting time, addressing the challenge of balancing incident reporting with emergency response availability. This lean-based approach enhanced operational efficiency, promoted risk reduction, and strengthened prehospital care's foundation for quality improvement.