What distinguishes a near-miss event from an adverse event in patient safety?

• A. A near-miss is an event that could have caused harm but did not.
• B. An adverse event is an event that could have caused harm but did not.
• C. A near-miss is an event that caused harm but did not occur.
• D. An adverse event is when a patient complains of pain.

Answer: (A)

Difference in outcome is what this question tests: a near-miss is an event that could have caused harm but did not, thanks to luck or safeguards catching the issue in time. An adverse event, on the other hand, is harm that actually occurred to the patient as a result of care or treatment. So the statement that best fits is the one describing a near-miss as an incident that could have caused harm but did not, because it captures the distinction between potential harm that was prevented and actual harm that did occur.