title: Patient safety: what is it all about?
abstract: Patient safety is a major concern in health care systems worldwide. Patients with serious conditions, multimorbidity, and with intense and fragmented health care utilization, like end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, are at increased risk for suffering adverse events. In this chapter, the fundamental terms and concepts of patient safety are introduced. Essential epidemiological data relating to the frequency of adverse events and medical errors are provided. The chapter reports important safety threats for ESRD patients and describes examples of key innovations which contribute to patient safety. Recommendations and risk reduction strategies to improve care of ESRD patients are presented.
authors: Swiss Patient Safety Foundation, Zürich, and Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Schwappach
mesh_terms: D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010348:Patient Care Team; D061214:Patient Safety; D015995:Prevalence; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors