Final answer:
A sentinel event is an unexpected patient death that is not related to the patient's illness. It is an important term in healthcare to investigate and address the root cause of such events and improve patient safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
An unexpected patient death that is not related to the patient's illness is termed a sentinel event. A sentinel event is an unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof. It is used as a term in healthcare to describe incidents that require immediate investigation and response.
This term helps healthcare providers to identify and analyze risks in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future. It is important to investigate and address the root cause of the sentinel event to improve patient safety and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.