For how many years must incident reports be retained?

In the context of long-term care facilities, including residential care and assisted living, retaining incident reports for a specified period is essential for compliance, quality assurance, and legal protection. Retaining incident reports for two years aligns with regulatory standards and helps ensure that facilities can address trends, track incidents, and maintain proper documentation for audits or reviews.

This duration allows organizations to evaluate incidents over time to improve safety protocols and care practices. Incidents reported within this timeframe can be analyzed for patterns that may indicate underlying issues that need to be addressed. Keeping these reports for at least two years is considered a best practice in the industry to protect both the residents and the facility itself, as it provides a buffer for management decisions and potential investigations.

Choosing this option reflects awareness of the regulations governing incident reporting and the importance of maintaining thorough documentation to support ongoing care quality and liability considerations.