Patient Safety and the Reliability of Health Care Systems
Authors: Paul Barach, Donald M. Berwick
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Editorials17 June 2003Patient Safety and the Reliability of Health Care SystemsPaul Barach, MD, MPH and Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPPPaul Barach, MD, MPHFrom University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author and Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPPFrom University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-12-200306170-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The dramatic increase in initiatives for patient safety as a national health care policy in the United States and several other industrialized nations has stimulated dialogue about systems redesign, culture change, and advancement of medical education and training. Patient safety and quality improvement have been identified as a critical clinical and research endeavor supported by the federal government accrediting bodies, regulatory agencies, and patient advocacy groups. Annals has been a pioneer in publishing many seminal articles devoted to patient safety (1). A new series, Patient Safety and the Reliability of Health Care Systems, is inaugurated in this issue of Annals ...References1. Schimmel EA. The Hazards of Hospitalization. Ann Intern Med. 1964;60:100-10. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Runciman WB, Merry AF, Tito F. Error, blame, and the law in health carean Antipodean perspective. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:974-9. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS, eds. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: National Academy Pr; 2000. Google Scholar4. Donaldson L. An organisation with a memory: report of an expert group on learning from adverse events in the NHS. Norwich, United Kingdom: Stationary Office; 2000. Accessed at www.doh.gov.uk/orgmemreport/index.htm on 29 April 2003. Google Scholar5. Runciman W, Moller J. Iatrogenic injury in Australia. Adelaide, Australia: Australian Patient Safety Foundation; 2001. Accessed at www.apsf.net.au/journals.html on 29 April 2003. Google Scholar6. Reason J. Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents. Aldershot, United Kingdom: Ashgate; 1997. Google Scholar7. Kletz T. Learning from Accidents. 2nd ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1994. Google Scholar8. Batalden P, Leach D, Swing S, Dreyfus H, Dreyfus S. General competencies and accreditation in graduate medical education. Health Aff (Millwood). 2002;21:103-11. [PMID: 12224871] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Ludmerer KM. Learning to Heal: The Development of American Medical Education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr; 1985. Google Scholar10. ACGME Outcome Project. Chicago: Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education; 2001. Accessed at www.acgme.org/outcome/comp/compHome.asp on 29 April 2003. Google Scholar11. Project Professionalism. Philadelphia: American Board of Internal Medicine; 1999. Accessed at www.abim.org/pubs/p2/index.htm on 29 April 2003. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Massachusetts.Acknowledgments: Dr. Stephen Small participated in an earlier version of the series and the introduction to the series.Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: Paul Barach, MD, MPH, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland, Chicago, IL 60637.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Barach: Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland, Chicago, IL 60637.Dr. Berwick: Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 375 Longwood Avenue, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02215. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoError, Blame, and the Law in Health Care—An Antipodean Perspective William B. Runciman , Alan F. Merry , and Fiona Tito Improving Patient Care Harold C. 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Other Modes of Error AcknowledgmentSafety in training and learning in the intensive care unitDoctors’ responses to medical errorsPhysiatry: Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Patient Injury, and Quality of Care 17 June 2003Volume 138, Issue 12Page: 997-998KeywordsAnesthesiaComplex systemsCritical careGraduate medical educationHealth careInformation technologyInterleukinsPatient advocacyQuality improvementSafety ePublished: 17 June 2003 Issue Published: 17 June 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...