Preventing Medical Errors: Education for Florida State Clinicians (2023)

1. Introduction: Medical Errors

The prevalence of medical errors and their impact on health care will be discussed. Too often, medical errors are unrecognized and underreported. Some studies indicate medical errors are the third leading cause of death for patients in the United States.

2. Medical Errors Defined

This chapter will define medication errors of commission or omission, adverse drug events, and sentinel events. It is important to know how to recognize medical errors, when to report, and how best to respond.

3. Why Do Medical Errors Occur?

Based on scientific studies, why and how do medical errors occur? Processes and case studies will be discussed. The use of root cause analysis to identify vulnerabilities to medical errors will be presented.

4. Medical Error Reduction and Prevention

Learn about the science of human factors and its influence in medical errors. Gain knowledge to prevent and mitigate medical errors to create positive outcomes for the clinician and the patient alike.

5. Safeguards for Medical Error Prevention

It is important to develop and apply system safeguards to minimize medical errors and decrease risk to patients, staff, and the organization. Best practice systems and the National Patient Safety Goals will be reviewed to provide the learner with practical implementation methods to minimize and avoid medical errors.