The Wrong Patient
Authors: Robert M. Wachter, Kaveh G. Shojania, Sanjay Saint, Amy J. Markowitz, Mark Smith
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Letters18 March 2003The Wrong PatientRobert M. Wachter, MD, Kaveh G. Shojania, MD, Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH, Amy J. Markowitz, JD, and Mark Smith, MD, MBARobert M. Wachter, MDUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Wachter, Shojania)Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Saint)San Francisco, CA 94131 (Markowitz)California HealthCare Foundation; Oakland, CA 94607 (Smith)Search for more papers by this author, Kaveh G. Shojania, MDUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Wachter, Shojania)Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Saint)San Francisco, CA 94131 (Markowitz)California HealthCare Foundation; Oakland, CA 94607 (Smith)Search for more papers by this author, Sanjay Saint, MD, MPHUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Wachter, Shojania)Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Saint)San Francisco, CA 94131 (Markowitz)California HealthCare Foundation; Oakland, CA 94607 (Smith)Search for more papers by this author, Amy J. Markowitz, JDUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Wachter, Shojania)Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Saint)San Francisco, CA 94131 (Markowitz)California HealthCare Foundation; Oakland, CA 94607 (Smith)Search for more papers by this author, and Mark Smith, MD, MBAUniversity of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Wachter, Shojania)Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Saint)San Francisco, CA 94131 (Markowitz)California HealthCare Foundation; Oakland, CA 94607 (Smith)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-6-200303180-00025 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate each of the correspondents' kind words about the Quality Grand Rounds series and agree that forthright discussions of medical errors are needed in order for individual physicians, and the systems we work in, to learn from our collective mistakes.Dr. Sandroni laments present-day nursing systems, which frequently dispense with the traditional head nurse role. The absence of this point-of-service management presence, he argues, may create a communication or advocacy gap that contributes to errors. Dr. Sandroni's suggestion that patients enter the hospital accompanied by an advocate is indeed a rueful indictment of the status quo. Not ...References1. Hickson GB, Federspiel CF, Pichert JW, Miller CS, Gauld-Jaeger J, Bost P. Patient complaints and malpractice risk. JAMA. 2002;287:2951-7. [PMID: 12052124] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Studdert DM, Brennan TA. No-fault compensation for medical injuries: the prospect for error prevention. JAMA. 2001;286:217-23. [PMID: 11448285] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of California, San Francisco; San Francisco, CA 94143 (Wachter, Shojania)Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center University of Michigan; Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (Saint)San Francisco, CA 94131 (Markowitz)California HealthCare Foundation; Oakland, CA 94607 (Smith) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Wrong Patient Mark R. Chassin and Elise C. Becher Are Bad Outcomes from Questionable Clinical Decisions Preventable Medical Errors? A Case of Cascade Iatrogenesis Timothy P. Hofer and Rodney A. Hayward The Wrong Patient Stephen Sandroni The Wrong Patient Linda Fermoyle Rice The Wrong Patient James G. Gallagher Metrics 18 March 2003Volume 138, Issue 6Page: 518-519KeywordsNursesPatient advocacySafetyTwins ePublished: 18 March 2003 Issue Published: 18 March 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...