Ann Cook, PhD, & Helena Hoas, PhD.
“You have to see errors to fix them”
Modern Healthcare, December 6, p.21.
This article presents a brief summary of findings from the multi-method studies conducted in a network of 30 hospitals in multi-state rural areas. The article explores why the IOM goal of significantly reducing medical errors has been so elusive. When analyzing case studies depicting various unsafe practices that occur in rural healthcare settings, healthcare providers showed little agreement as to whether an error had occurred and what actions to take in terms of reporting or disclosing to the patients. Given the disparities among the healthcare professions in their perceptions of what constitutes medical errors, it is difficult to devise approaches that would help healthcare providers significantly reduce error.