PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION
HOW TO WRITE
AN INCIDENT
REPORT
WHAT IS AN
INCIDENT REPORT?
An “incident report” or also known as an “accident report”
is a form that is filled out in order to record details of
unusual that occurs at the facility, such us injury to a patient .
A written document describing inadvertent trauma to a
patient, errors or omission in care, or untoward events
happening to staff or visitors.
PART 1:
FOLLOWING PROTOCOL
STEPS IN WRITING AN
INCIDENT REPORT
1. A. Obtain the proper forms from your
institution.
Each institution has a different protocol in place for
dealing with an incident and filing a report
Follow any instructions that accompany the forms.
Each organization uses a different format, so pay
attention to the guidelines.
In some cases you're responsible for filling out a
form issued by your institution. In other cases you'll
be asked to type or write up the report on your own.
Tip: If possible, do your write up using word processing
software. It will look neater, and you'll be able to use
spell check to polish it when you're finished. If you write
your report by hand, print clearly instead of using
cursive. Don't leave people guessing whether your 7s are
actually 1s.
STEPS IN WRITING AN
INCIDENT REPORT
1. B. Provide the basic facts.
Your form may have blanks for you to fill out
with information about the incident. If not,
start the report with a sentence clearly stating
the following basic information:
The time, date and location of the incident
(be specific; write the exact street address,
etc.).
Your name and ID number.
Names of other members of your
organization who were present
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
1. C. Include a line about the general
nature of the incident.
Describe what brought to you at the scene of
the incident. If you received a call, describe
the call and note what time you received it.
Write an objective, factual sentence
describing what occurred.
For example, you could write that you
were called to a certain address after a
person was reported for being drunk and
disorderly.
Note: You should not write what you think
might have happened. Stick to the facts, and
be objective.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
1. D. Start the report as soon as
possible.
Write it the same day as the incident if
possible. If you wait a day or two your
memory will start to get a little fuzzy.
You should write down the basic facts
you need to remember as soon as the
incident occurs. Do your report write-up
within the first 24 hours afterward.
PART 2:
DESCRIBING WHAT HAPPENED
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
2. A. Write a first person narrative telling
what happened.
Write a chronological narrative of exactly
what happened when you reported to the
scene. Use the full names of each person
included in the report. Identify all persons
the first time they are cited in your report
by listing: first, middle, and last names;
date of birth, race, gender, and reference a
government issued identification number.
In subsequent sentences, you can then
refer to them using just their first and last
names: "Doe, John" or "John Doe". Start a
new paragraph to describe each person's
actions separately. Answer the who, what,
when, where, and why of what happened.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
If possible, make sure to include direct
quotes from witnesses and other people
involved in the incident. For example, in
the above scenario, the officer could
write “Jane said to me ‘Johnny was mad
because I didn’t have dinner ready right
on time.'”
Include an accurate description of your own
role in the course of what occurred. If you
had to use physical force to detain someone,
don't gloss over it. Report how you handled
the situation and its aftermath.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
2. B. Be thorough.
Write as much as you can remember - the more
details, the better. Don't leave room for people
reading the report to interpret something the wrong
way. Don't worry about your report being too long or
wordy. The important thing is to report a complete
picture of what occurred .
For example, instead of saying “when I arrived, his face
was red,” you could say, “when I arrived, he was
yelling, out of breath, and his face was red with anger.
”The second example is better than the first
because there are multiple reasons for someone’s
face to be red, not just that they are angry.
Or, instead of saying “after I arrived at the scene,
he charged towards me,” you should say “when I
arrived at the scene I demanded that both parties
stop fighting. After taking a breath and looking at
me, he began to run quickly towards me and held
his hand up like he was about to strike me.”
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
2. C. Be accurate.
Do not write something in the report that you aren't
sure actually happened. Report hearsay as hearsay,
not as fact.
For example, if a witness told you he saw
someone leap over a fence and run away, clearly
indicate that your report of the incident was based
upon a witness account; it is not yet a proven fact.
Additionally, if you are reporting what the witness
told you, you should write down anything that
you remember about the witness's demeanour. If
their statement's cause controversy later, your
report can prove useful. For example, it would be
helpful to know that a witness appeared excited
while telling you what happened, or if they
seemed very calm and even-handed.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
.
2. D. Be clear.
Don't use flowery, confusing language to
describe what occurred. Your writing should
be clear and concise. Use short, to-the-
point, fact-oriented sentences that don't
leave room for interpretation
Keep your writing clear and concise..
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
Additionally, do not use legal or
technical words: For example, say
“personal vehicle” instead of “P.O.V.”
(personally owned vehicle), and “scene
of the crime” instead of the typical
numbered code that police typically use
to notify others of their arrival.
Use short, to-the-point sentences that
emphasize facts and that don't leave room
for interpretation. Instead of writing "I
think the suspect wanted to get back at
his wife, because he seemed to have ill
intentions when he walked up to her and
grabbed her," write "The suspect [insert
name] walked over to his wife [name]
and forcefully grabbed her by the wrist."
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
2. E. Be honest.
Even if you're not proud of how you
handled the situation, it's imperative that
you write an honest account. If you write
something untrue it may end up surfacing
later, putting your job in jeopardy and
causing problems for the people involved in
the incident. Preserve your integrity and that
of the institution you represent by telling
the truth.
PART 3:
POLISHING THE REPORT
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
3. A. Double check the basic facts.
Check to make sure the basic information
(spellings of names, the dates, times, and
addresses, the license plate numbers, etc.)
match those you listed in your report.
Do not try to make sure that statements
in your report match those of your
colleagues. Individually filed reports
guarantee that more than one account of
an incident survives. Incident reports can
appear later in a court of law. If you alter
the facts of your report to match those of
another, you can be penalized.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
3. B. Edit and proofread your report.
Read through it to make sure it's coherent
and easy to understand. Make sure you
didn't leave out any information that should
have been included. Look for obvious gaps
in the narrative that you might need to fill
in.
Check it one more time for spelling and
grammar errors.
Remove any words that could be seen as
subjective or judgmental, like words
describing feelings and emotions.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
3. C. Submit your incident report.
Find out the name of the person or
department to whom your report must be
sent. When possible, submit an incident
report in person and make yourself available
to answer further questions or provide
clarification. In situations where an incident
report must be mailed or e-mailed, follow
up with a phone call within a 10 day period
to ensure that your report was received.
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
STEPS IN WRITING AN INCIDENT
REPORT
