Access to reports on medical mistakes could be restricted

When something goes awry at a hospital, whether it harms a patient or not, doctors and nurses are expected to file an incident or occurrence report detailing what happened. The reports help hospitals determine what caused the incident and what safeguards can be put in place to prevent it from happening again. But the reports also can provide lawyers in malpractice lawsuits with an initial explanation of what happened to a patient. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/17)