To teach students about patient safety, university officials introduced a particular textbook into the curriculum. Health System Sciences — co-written by AMA officials and 11 faculty members from various medical schools, including ECU — includes a full chapter on the history of patient safety, basic principles and specific types of medical errors relating to surgery, medication, teamwork and communication, among others.
Officials supplemented the textbook’s teachings with hands-on training incorporating key issues and solutions outlined in the chapter. ECU medical students participate in monthly patient safety conferences during their pediatric clerkship to discuss safety mishaps they may have witnessed. During their surgery clerkships, students play a key role in identifying patient safety mistakes and implementing the necessary systemic changes to ensure they don’t occur again.
“By teaching these skills at the onset of medical education as integral to patient care, the culture of safety and blame can be changed for the better,” the authors wrote. “Through these efforts, it is hoped that all healthcare professionals enter practice understanding their essential role in creating a patient-centered and team-based approach to patient safety.”
More articles on hospital-physician relationships:
Icahn medical school dean allegedly shot by former professor testifies in court
Houston Methodist taps 11-person Mount Sinai cancer team for Center for Immunotherapy Research
Joint Commission conducts nonroutine accreditation survey of University of Minnesota hospital
