Irish Examiner view: HSE’s lack of ‘serious incidents’ data raises a red flag

In a world that is lubricated by the collection of statistics of every kind it is a surprise to find just how little we know about some areas of public activity and policy

Some of the 488 cases are defined as 'serious incidents' that 'may result in death or serious harm' while others are 'serious incidents' which need to be examined to determine if 'safety was compromised'. File picture

It’s one of the aphorisms of the business world that you get what you measure.

Where management decides to place its ruler usually determines what defines an enterprise as “successful”. Many people will have heard of profit-to-turnover and debt-to-equity ratios, or costs per employee and return on capital employed. In soccer, it’s barely possible these days to get through a match without a commentator or a pundit mumbling about xG — the expected goals figure for a player or a team which arises from the data-heavy analysis of historic performance.