3: Integrating safety and quality
Defining patient safety Patient safety can, at its simplest, be defined as: The avoidance, prevention and amelioration of adverse outcomes or injuries stemming from the process of healthcare.(VINCENT, 2006) This…
15: Patient involvement in patient safety
(ADAPTED FROM BERWICK DM. “TAKING ACTION TO IMPROVE SAFETY: HOW TO IMPROVE THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS.” PRESENTATION AT THE ANNENBERG CENTER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES CONFERENCE, ENHANCING PATIENT SAFETY AND REDUCING…
11: Clinical interventions and process improvement
(BERWICK DM. ‘‘TAKING ACTION TO IMPROVE SAFETY: HOW TO IMPROVE THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS.’’ PRESENTATION AT THE ANNENBERG CENTER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES CONFERENCE, ENHANCING PATIENT SAFETY AND REDUCING ERRORS IN…
10: Supporting staff after serious incidents
(GAWANDE, 2002) BOX 10.1 Death of a child When I was an inexperienced registrar some eight years ago, a child died under my care. Her death was largely preventable, but…
9: Caring for patients harmed by treatment
(ADAPTED FROM VINCENT, 2001) Mrs Long suffered a series of avoidable surgical complications over a period of several months which left her in considerable pain. Traumatic experiences, chronic pain and…
1: Medical harm: a brief history
The cure can be worse than the disease Medicine has always been an inherently risky enterprise, the hopes of benefit and cure always linked to the possibility of harm. The…
7: Human error and systems thinking
The lessons of major accidents Our understanding of how the events preceding a disaster unfold has been greatly expanded in the last 20 years by the careful examination of a…
2: The emergence of patient safety
Improving the quality of healthcare Unless substantial progress had been made in the understanding and practice of quality improvement, it is highly unlikely that the tougher issues underlying patient safety…
