title: Proactive error prevention in the intensive care unit.
abstract: Care provided in the ICU accounts for nearly 30% of acute care hospital costs and, with the aging of Americans, there is an increased demand for critical care services [1]. Critical illness reduces an individual's physical resilience. Minute-to-minute care decisions and interventions mean life or death during this acute disease phase. Critically ill patients have limited ability to defend themselves from the consequences of health care error. This patient population has the least ability to communicate symptoms to health care providers. The risk of adverse events caused by medications or equipment malfunction is higher because patients in the ICU receive twice as many medications as patients in general care units [2] and often require mechanical support of normal body functions, such as breathing, eating, and eliminating body waste. Consequently, the patient in the ICU has a higher exposure to medical error than patients in other areas of the hospital.
authors.affiliation: Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Center for Healthcare Improvement, Houston, TX 77074, USA. Kathy_VandeVoorde@mhhs.org
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Vande Voorde
authors.forename: Anne-Claire
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: France
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States