Prevention of Medical Errors
This is a required course meeting the DOE frameworks:
14.05 List and explain measures conducive to eliminating medical errors.
Objectives
- Identify the factors that impact the occurrence of medical errors
- Reflect on the presence of any of these factors in your place of employment
- Consider contraindications and indications for management of errors
- Recognize error-prone situations
- Make those situations safer in your own working environment
- Identify pharmacological components of error-prone situations respective to your discipline
- Explore processes of medical documentation and communication that might improve patient outcomes
- Be aware of your responsibilities for reporting medical errors
- Consider the safety needs of special populations
- Cite needs for public education and empowerment
Adverse event- an injury or problem that was created because of medical management (error) rather than the condition of the patient
Close calls or near misses- potential adverse events (most of the time near misses are not recorded)
Bad outcomes- not necessarily medical errors. These are unfortunate events that can occur even when everything is done correctly and well.
