title: Patient-reported safety and quality of care in outpatient oncology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although patients suffer the effects of medical errors and iatrogenic injuries, little is known about their ability to recognize these events in ambulatory specialty care.
  
  
  METHODS
  At a Boston cancer center in 2004, 193 adult oncology patients treated on a chemotherapy infusion unit were interviewed by four patient safety liaisons--volunteers recruited from the organization's Adult Patient and Family Advisory Council.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 193 patients, 83 reported 121 incidents. Investigators classified 2 (1%) adverse events, 4 (2%) close calls, 14 (7%) errors without risk of harm, and 101 (52%) service quality incidents. Respondents reported high staff compliance with safe practices such as identity checking (95%). Examining the most serious described by each of 42 (22%) respondents who reported a recent unsafe experience, investigators classified only one adverse event, 3 close calls, 9 harmless errors, and 27 service quality incidents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' perception of unsafe care was surprising, given the same patients' recognition of consistent application of safe practices, such as the use of two forms of identification before performing tests and administering treatments. Many ambulatory oncology patients also reported poor service quality. The relationship between patient perception of safe care, medical injury, and service quality merits further study.
authors: Center for Patient Safety, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA. saul_weingart@dfci.harvard.edu
authors: Saul N
authors: SN
authors: Weingart
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Price
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Duncombe
authors: Maureen
authors: M
authors: Connor
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Sommer
authors: Karen A
authors: KA
authors: Conley
authors: Barbara E
authors: BE
authors: Bierer
authors: Patricia Reid
authors: PR
authors: Ponte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001900:Boston; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000145:classification* / Q000523:psychology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D010045:Outpatients / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012449:Safety / Q000592:standards*