Vignettes in Patient Safety

Volume 3

Stanislaw P. Stawicki, Michael S. Firstenberg, Stanislaw P. Stawicki, Michael S. Firstenberg

• Publisher: IntechOpen
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781789236620
• eBook ISBN: 9781838816360
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Public Health, Administration & Care

Over the past decade it has been increasingly recognized that medical errors constitute an important determinant of patient safety, quality of care, and clinical outcomes. Such errors are both directly and indirectly responsible for unnecessary and potentially preventable morbidity and/or mortality across our healthcare institutions. The spectrum of contributing variables or "root causes" - ranging from minor errors that escalate, poor teamwork and/or communication, and lapses in appropriate protocols and processes (just to name a few) - is both extensive and heterogeneous. Moreover, effective solutions are few, and many have only recently been described. As our healthcare systems mature and their focus on patient safety solidifies, a growing body of research and experiences emerges to help provide an organized framework for continuous process improvement. Such a paradigm - based on best practices and evidence-based medical principles- sets the stage for hardwiring "the right things to do" into our institutional patient care matrix. Based on the tremendous interest in the first two volumes of The Vignettes in Patient Safety series, this third volume follows a similar model of case-based learning. Our goal is to share clinically relevant, practical knowledge that approximates experiences that busy practicing clinicians can relate to. Then, by using evidence-based approaches to present contemporary literature and potential contributing factors and solutions to various commonly encountered clinical patient safety scenarios, we hope to give our readers the tools to help prevent similar occurrences in the future. In outlining some of the best practices and structured experiences, and highlighting the scope of the problem, the authors and editors can hopefully lend some insights into how we can make healthcare experiences for our patients safer.

Table of contents

• Vignettes in Patient Safety - Volume 3
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1 Introductory Chapter: Medical Error and Associated Harm - The The Critical Role of Team Communication and Coordination
• Chapter 2 Defining Adverse Events and Determinants of Medical Errors in Healthcare
• Chapter 3 Adverse Events in Hospitals: “Swiss Cheese” Versus the “Hierarchal Referral Model of Care and Clinical Futile Cycles”
• Chapter 4 Fact versus Conjecture: Exploring Levels of Evidence in the Context of Patient Safety and Care Quality
• Chapter 5 Patient Safety Culture in Tunisia: Defining Challenges and Opportunities
• Chapter 6 Learning of Patient Safety in Health Professions Education
• Chapter 7 Adverse Events during Intrahospital Transfers: Focus on Patient Safety
• Chapter 8 Transfusion Error in the Gynecology Patient: A Case Review with Analysis
• Chapter 9 Patient Safety Issues in Pathology: From Mislabeled Specimens to Interpretation Errors
• Chapter 10 Avoiding Fire in the Operating Suite: An Intersection of Prevention and Common Sense