Patient safety: helping medical students understand error in healthcare.
OBJECTIVE
To change the culture of healthcare organisations and improve patient safety, new professionals need to be taught about adverse events and how to trap and mitigate against errors. A literature review did not reveal any patient safety courses in the core undergraduate medical curriculum. Therefore a new module was designed and piloted.


METHODS
A 5-h evidence-based module on understanding error in healthcare was designed with a preliminary evaluation using self-report questionnaires.


METHODS
A UK medical school.


METHODS
110 final year students.


RESULTS
Participants completed two questionnaires: the first questionnaire was designed to measure students' self-ratings of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in relation to patient safety and medical error, and was administered before and approximately 1 year after the module; the second formative questionnaire on the teaching process and how it could be improved was administered after completion of the module.


CONCLUSIONS
Before attending the module, the students reported they had little understanding of patient safety matters. One year later, only knowledge and the perceived personal control over safety had improved. The students rated the teaching process highly and found the module valuable. Longitudinal follow-up is required to provide more information on the lasting impact of the module.
Patey
Rona
R
Department of Anaesthesia, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK. Rona.Patey@arh.grampian.scot.nhs.uk
Flin
Rhona
R
Cuthbertson
Brian H
BH
MacDonald
Louise
L
Mearns
Kathryn
K
Cleland
Jennifer
J
Williams
David
D
D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017751:Safety Management; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom
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