Definitions of Errors
| Error type | Category | Subcategory | Definition |
| TOP noncompliance | Patient interview TOP | Questions noncompliance | Failure to ask “correct patient, correct site, correct procedure” questions |
| Request form | Errors due to incorrect patient details on request form (e.g., wrong patient sticker) | ||
| Pregnancy/breastfeeding | Errors due to failure to check for pregnancy and breastfeeding | ||
| Procedural TOP | Handover | Procedure performed incorrectly because first person fails to properly hand over patient to second person (e.g., provides inadequate information) or second person fails to make appropriate checks | |
| Staff | Procedure performed incorrectly because of human error (e.g., radiographer forgets to connect pressure injector to patient’s cannula) | ||
| Internal systems | Procedure performed incorrectly because of errors in procedures or systems within the department | ||
| Procedure matching | Errors due to failure to match patient presentation to procedure on request form | ||
| Dose | Errors due to administration of incorrect dose | ||
| Radiopharmaceutical | Errors due to administration of incorrect radiopharmaceutical | ||
| Intravenous access | Errors due to lack of proper intravenous access | ||
| Request form | Procedure performed incorrectly because request form was ambiguous | ||
| Quality control | Procedure performed incorrectly because staff failed to complete quality control test | ||
| Booking errors | Internal and external systems | Booking errors before patient reaches MRS personnel, due to systems outside department (e.g., electronic x-ray requests) or within department (e.g., reception) | |
| Request form | Booking errors due to use of duplicate or nonoriginal request form | ||
| Other errors | Students/new graduates | Errors by students or new graduates due to inadequate supervision by MRS personnel | |
| Training | Errors due to inadequate training on software, equipment, or procedures | ||
| Exposure to radiation | Errors causing the staff or the public to unintentionally be exposed to radiation | ||
| Radiopharmaceutical spillage | Errors causing a radiopharmaceutical to unintentionally be spilled |
MRS = medical radiation science.