Serious errors occur at the best hospitals and clinics — despite the best efforts of talented and dedicated providers. As the Institute of Medicine (IOM) declared in 2001, in words that still ring true, “Between the health care we have…
As long as human beings provide health care, mistakes and errors will occur. However, organizations can reduce the likelihood of such mistakes and errors and limit their impact by fostering a culture of safety. This is an environment that encourages…
In this course, we’re going to describe and advocate a patient-centered approach to use when things go wrong. This approach to adverse events and medical error centers on the needs of the patient, but it is also the best way…
This course introduces students to a systematic response to error called root cause analysis (RCA). The goal of RCA is to learn from adverse events and prevent them from happening in the future. The three lessons in this course explain…
Effective teamwork and communication are critical parts of the design of safe systems. In this course, you’ll learn what makes an effective team through case studies from health care and elsewhere. You’ll analyze the effects of individual behavior for promoting…
This course is an introduction to the field of human factors: how to incorporate knowledge of human behavior in the design of safe systems. You’ll explore case studies to analyze the human factors issues involved in health care situations. And…
As long as humans are practicing health care, mistakes and harm will be part of our daily work. But how can you mitigate the mistakes you make? And why do we make errors in the first place? The suite of courses will introduce you to the fundamentals of patient safety, and explain why to err is human. You’ll dive into content about teamwork and communication, explore root cause analysis and the aftermath of adverse events, and discover the critical components comprising a culture of safety.
No one embarks on a health care career intending to harm patients. But much too often, patients die or suffer injuries from the care they receive. In this course, you’ll learn why becoming a student of patient safety is critical…
Four out of five prescriptions for psychotropic medications in the US are prescribed by primary care providers. Psychotropic medications have a relatively high rate of adverse side effects, and are an increasing source of claims for medical malpractice. Clinical practice…
H-CAHPS and CG-CAHPS are patient satisfaction surveys in the hospital and office settings. They are being collected, published and used by payers in determining hospital and physician reimbursement. Criticisms have been raised about the validity of the surveys and their…
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