Although initially driven by the media focus on several Harvard Medical Studies involving high mortality figures and a report published by the Institute of Medicine, the patient safety movement is sustained by the recognition that there is much more we as health care professionals can do to decrease medical errors and patient injuries.
A new understanding of the nature of medical error has emerged, and with it the possibility of creating a safer health care system. This new view of medical error has evolved through the study of medical injuries and "close calls", and from applying lessons from fields such as cognitive psychology and industrial engineering.
Risk Management Foundation of the Harvard Medical Institutions has been a pioneer in this field since the 1970's, and has developed ways to structure and analyze medical malpractice data, incidents, accidents and "near misses" to help us understand the root causes of medical error and build the solutions to prevent it. This knowledge is available through RMF Strategies.
To reduce the cost and risk of medical malpractice and patient harm in your organization, contact RMF Strategies.