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December 18, 2006

Study Finds Patients Have Broader Definition of Medical Errors Than Clinicians

Patients may view and define medical errors more broadly than clinicians, according to a study in the January issue of the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. In addition to events such as medication errors and errors in judgment or execution, patients defined medical errors as including patient falls and staff not communicating effectively or being responsive to patient requests. The study interviewed a random sample of patients discharged from 12 Midwestern hospitals, and found 94% believed their medical safety had been good to excellent while 39% expressed concerns related to patient safety. Concerns were highest among patients who were admitted through the emergency department, had longer hospital stays, or were middle-aged, parents of pediatric patients or African American. The results suggest that efforts to engage patients in error prevention “may require customization or tailoring to meet the individual needs of different groups of patients,” the authors said.