First Do No Harm
Some say little has improved in the 12 years since the Institute of Medicine drew the nation’s attention to the unacceptable number of “adverse unexpected events”— read “errors”—in U.S. hospitals. September contributors cite evidence to the contrary. They write about the emerging science of safety, patient safety organizations that collect and aggregate medical error data, success of check lists and root cause analysis, professional consensus that adverse events be disclosed to patients, and the recognition that physicians who cause harm in their efforts to help also need follow-up care.