Accurate information is crucial to progress.
It tells us about the system's vulnerabilities, many of which are not clearly understood before the precise chain of circumstances leading to an incident come together. Celebrated reports of patient injury often end with a judgment about the causal role of human error. A substantial research base about the human contribution to safety and failure in areas outside health care has developed over the past 20 years. The disciplines include human factors, cognitive psychology, social psychology and organizational behavior. The delivery of health care today combines technology, science and art in what is the most dynamic, complex human enterprise on the face of the earth.