Virtual Mentor spoke with Dr. David Classen about the current state of patient safety in the United States. Dr Classen discussed the goals and challenges of improving patient safety in inpatient and ambulatory settings and how health care reform will impact future efforts to improve patient safety.

Do some pernicious patient safety problems remain unresolved, even after systems changes, because health care professionals are not personally held accountable for their failure to meet standards?

Alternative medicine practitioners may offer a more informative and satisfying relationship to patients, and the anecdotal support for alternative treatments’ rationales may have emotional appeal, but quack medicines cost money and cause harm. What really matters is whether a treatment can stand up to scientific testing.

The AMA Code of Medical Ethics' opinions on respect for civil and human rights.

A physician outlines the role of the ACCME and its responsibility to successfully manage the boundary between continuing medical education and the commercial support, commercial interests, promotion and advertising related to it.

Physician's view of what society expects of physicians and what physicians expect from society. Society demands accessible, quality care. Physicians want balanced lives.

The state medical board has limited ability to regulate rude and insensitive physician speech.

A proposal for non-disciplinary physician accountability by means of electronic medical record audits.

Privacy laws and concerns regarding confidentiality often prevent physicians from serving on peer review boards.

An article from a 2002 issue of JAMA discusses competence as a form of professionalism, and suggests that a commitment to competence and excellence is a way of ensuring ethical behavior and improving the physician-patient relationship.