Medical Error: What Do We Know? What Do We Do?

The information contained in Medical Error includes contributions from experts in the field who offer a comprehensive and constructive review of medical mishaps. The book provides a useful reference for students and practitioners who must examine and assess the critical area of patient safety. Throughout Medical Error the authors stress the critical need for accountability and transparency and address a number of compelling questions: Where are we mired in outdated approaches? Where have we misinterpreted data? Where are we getting new insights? Where do we dare to be innovative? This helpful resource will prove to be a valuable tool for health care professionals who strive to improve care for all their patients.

The information contained in Medical Error includes contributions from experts in the field who offer a comprehensive and constructive review of medical mishaps. The book provides a useful reference for students and practitioners who must examine and assess the critical area of patient safety. Throughout Medical Error the authors stress the critical need for accountability and transparency and address a number of compelling questions: Where are we mired in outdated approaches? Where have we misinterpreted data? Where are we getting new insights? Where do we dare to be innovative? This helpful resource will prove to be a valuable tool for health care professionals who strive to improve care for all their patients.

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Stressing accountability and transparency, 12 contributions review medical mistakes, their causes, approaches to remedying them, and future prospects. Particular attention is given to the perspectives of providers and patients, the management of error, and error reduction. Appendices include a glossary and a list of Internet references. Contributors include nurses, administrators, doctors, psychologists, and scholars of law, medicine, and related fields. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Marilynn M. Rosenthal is a professor and medical sociologist. She is director of the Program in Health Policy Studies at the University of Michigan in Dearborn and associate director of the University of Michigan medical school's Program in Society and Medicine, also coordinating the University of Michigan Health Policy Forum. She is the author of Dealing with Medical Malpractice, The Incompetent Doctor, and Medical Mishaps: Pieces of the Puzzle.

Kathleen M. Sutcliffe is associate professor of organizational behavior and human resource management at the University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the coauthor with Karl E. Weick, of Managing the Unexpected (Jossey-Bass, 2001).