Introduction to Patient Safety Banner.png

Learning Objectives

Describe why patient safety is important in health care.
Define the terms medical error and adverse event.
Describe the importance of designing systems of care with human factors principles in mind.
Describe common strategies for preventing medical errors and adverse events.
Describe the importance of systematically analyzing and learning from medical errors and adverse events.
Define the key domains for assessing patient safety.
Describe the commonly used measures of patient safety.
Describe the importance of culture and leadership in patient safety.

Readings

Human error: models and management

BMJ. 2000 Mar 18; 320(7237): 768–770. doi: 10.1136/bmj.320.7237.768
System changes to improve patient safety
BMJ 2000; 320 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.320.7237.771 (Published 18 March 2000)
The top patient safety strategies that can be encouraged for adoption now
Ann Intern Med. 2013 Mar 5;158(5 Pt 2):365-8. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-158-5-201303051-00001.
2021 Hospital National Patient Safety Goals
What Exactly is Patient Safety?
Henriksen K, Battles JB, Keyes MA, et al., editors. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2008 Aug.

Video - Introduction to Patient Safety | 13 minutes