title: Can regulation improve safety in critical care?
abstract: This article examines national and state safety practice initiatives, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services quality focus, federal and state outcomes reporting, and consumer access to outcomes data. The efforts of national and regional legislators and health care institutions to create regulations for staffing and technology to reduce medical errors is reviewed. The potential of a unified cooperative effort from all stakeholders to implement the above initiatives to improve intensive care unit safety practices is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Medical Intensive Care Unit and Respiratory Care Services, West Suburban Hospital, One Erie Court, Suite #3000, Oak Park, IL 60302, USA. threemm4me@aol.com
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Marinelli
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012449:Safety; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce