Patient safety in the surgical setting.
Patient safety has been the subject of surgical investigation for the past century. A specific focus on safety and medical errors has incited public attention, government oversight, and research funding. Traditional efforts have been focused on the individual responsible for the "mistake," while current procedure focuses on a systems approach. A critical analysis of medical errors, their frequency and cause, and outcomes associated with their occurrence has allowed the identification of system-based issues and the implementation of corrective changes to improve these systems. Constant vigilance examining errors and how they occur will allow identification of strategies to reduce errors.
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA. MBM5@gunet.georgetown.edu
M Blair
MB
Marshall
Dominic
D
Emerson
D057189:Checklist; D003142:Communication; D057918:Fiducial Markers; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009873:Operating Rooms; D061214:Patient Safety; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D012308:Risk Management / Q000592:standards; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative