Using the Datix Incident Form (DIF1)

The Datix Incident Form (DIF1) is the online form which is completed by the reporter of an incident.

DIF1 form captures the detail of the incident, and the organisations and the people involved. It acts as a record of the incident and a prompt to support action planning and reporting. The form should be completed as soon as possible after the incident has occurred (whilst events can be clearly remembered) and within the timescales for reporting as set out in your organisation’s policy.

DIF1 form is divided into several sections focusing on different aspects of the incident being reported. The exact design of the form is determined by your organisation’s requirements, and typically includes:

• Incident Details. Section where you record incident type, incident date and time and the place where the incident occurred, as well as a clear and factual description of the circumstances of the incident and actions taken. Opinions should not be provided. Abbreviations may be used, but only if they are explained in the first instance. Person identifiable data must be excluded from this section.
• Incident Severity & Result. Section where you identify result, severity and initial risk grading matrix in accordance with your organisation’s policy. The grading of incidents is a useful tool in establishing the level of risk associated with a particular incident; and the level of investigation and root cause analysis that may be required.
• Additional Information. This is the section that enables you to identify all persons involved in the incident and any injuries, as well as record medication and equipment details, identify whether the incident is reportable to an external agency such as SIRS, and to attach any supporting documents.
• Openness & Transparency. Section supporting the duty of candour requirements.
• Reporter Details. You can use DIF1 form to report incidents anonymously. However, choosing to complete fields in this section enables an incident handler or investigator to discuss the incident with you, to find out more details if required, or to give you any feedback on the findings of the investigation.
• Manager. Section that allows you to select the manager you want to review the incident.

When completing the form, it is important to include as much information as possible and that a clear, sequential analysis of what failed is documented. If you are not logged into DatixWeb once you started using DIF1 form, you must complete it - if you close the form prior to submitting, you will lose all your work.

DatixWeb is typically configured to send automatic e-mail alerts to appropriate staff members (such as managers or handlers) each time an incident is submitted. These alerts are triggered depending on a number of factors including the location, type, and grade of the incident. DatixWeb can also be configured to provide automatic email notifications to incident reporters on incident submission, and email feedback once the reported incidents have been closed.