Document Detail


Medical error and decision making: Learning from the past and present in intensive care.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20594866     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Human error occurs in every occupation. Medical errors may result in a near miss or an actual injury to a patient that has nothing to do with the underlying medical condition. Intensive care has one of the highest incidences of medical error and patient injury in any specialty medical area; thought to be related to the rapidly changing patient status and complex diagnoses and treatments.
PURPOSE: The aims of this paper are to: (1) outline the definition, classifications and aetiology of medical error; (2) summarise key findings from the literature with a specific focus on errors arising from intensive care areas; and (3) conclude with an outline of approaches for analysing clinical information to determine adverse events and inform practice change in intensive care.
DATA SOURCE: Database searches of articles and textbooks using keywords: medical error, patient safety, decision making and intensive care. Sociology and psychology literature cited therein.
FINDINGS: Critically ill patients require numerous medications, multiple infusions and procedures. Although medical errors are often detected by clinicians at the bedside, organisational processes and systems may contribute to the problem. A systems approach is thought to provide greater insight into the contributory factors and potential solutions to avoid preventable adverse events.
CONCLUSION: It is recommended that a variety of clinical information and research techniques are used as a priority to prevent hospital acquired injuries and address patient safety concerns in intensive care.
Authors:
Tracey K Bucknall
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Review     Date:  2010-07-01
Journal Detail:
Title:  Australian critical care : official journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses     Volume:  23     ISSN:  1036-7314     ISO Abbreviation:  Aust Crit Care     Publication Date:  2010 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-07-26     Completed Date:  2010-12-08     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9207852     Medline TA:  Aust Crit Care     Country:  Australia    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  150-6     Citation Subset:  N    
Copyright Information:
2010 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Deakin University, Cabrini-Deakin Centre for Nursing Research, Cabrini Institute, Malvern, Victoria, Australia. tracey.bucknall@deakin.edu.au
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Critical Illness*
Decision Making*
Humans
Intensive Care Units / standards*
Medical Errors / classification,  prevention & control*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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