Who should complete an incident report?

• A. The person who identified or witnessed the situation
• B. The nurse manager
• C. The patient
• D. The attending physician

Answer: (A)

The incident report should be completed by the person who identified or witnessed the situation because they can provide the most accurate, immediate account of what happened. This firsthand perspective ensures details like who was involved, what occurred, exactly when and where it happened, and the sequence of events are recorded as they were observed, reducing memory errors or bias that can occur if someone else later reconstructs the incident. The report serves to capture objective information to support patient safety and quality improvement, not to assign blame. Those in supervisory or clinical leadership roles may review the report, investigate, and implement corrective actions, but they aren’t the initial reporters if they didn’t witness the event. Patients generally report concerns to staff rather than completing the formal incident report, which requires clinical detail and an objective account.