SEA is mainly a concept from the UK, where team members come together to constructively review an<unk>  that has occurred, broadly equating to doing a case study. It is preferentially used in primary care situations and has some comparisons with root cause analysis. It is most frequently required for appraisal, revalidation and continuing professional development, and unlike clinical audit, SEA is qualitative and considered as a form of quality improvement activity, as<unk> s of SEA in primary care frequently do not meet the harm threshold. It can also be used as part of a GP trainee's learning log. The value of using SEA was highlighted in the publication of the GP contract of 2004, and became part of the GP contract in the UK, with practices requiring to have completed 12 SEAs every three years. SEA as a risk management technique is endorsed by the National Patient Safety Agency.
Significant event audit
Clinical peer review
Admission, discharge, and transfer system
Clinical trial management system
Clinical audit
Clinical decision support system
Clinical data repository
Operational Research CONsultancy