Patient safety: research into practice

Abstract

This book is the winner of the Basis of Medicine Award in the BMA Book Medical Book Competition 2006! In many countries, during the last decade there has been a growing public realization that healthcare organisations are often dangerous places to be. Reports published in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the USA have served to focus public and policy attention on the safety of patients and to highlight the alarmingly high incidence of errors and adverse events that lead to some kind of harm or injury. This book presents a research-based perspective on patient safety, drawing together the most recent ideas and thinking from researchers on how to research and understand patient safety issues, and how research findings are used to shape policy and practice. The book examines key issues, including: analysis and measurement of patient safety; approaches to improving patient safety; future policy and practice regarding patient safety; and, the legal dimensions of patient safety. "Patient Safety" is essential reading for researchers, policy makers and practitioners involved in, or interested in, patient safety.; The book is also of interest to the growing number of postgraduate students on health policy and health management programmes that focus upon healthcare quality, risk management and patient safety. Contributors include: Sally Adams, Tony Avery, Maureen Baker, Paul Beatty, Ruth Boaden, Tanya Claridge, Gary Cook, Caroline Davy, Susan Dovey, Aneez Esmail, Rachel Finn, Martin Fletcher, Sally Giles, John Hickner, Rachel Howard, Amanda Howe, Michael A. Jones, Sue Kirk, Rebecca Lawton, Martin Marshall, Caroline Morris, Dianne Parker, Shirley Pearce, Bob Phillips, Steve Rogers, Richard Thomson, Charles Vincent, Kieran Walshe, Justin Waring, Alison Watkin, Fiona Watts, Liz West, and, Maria Woloshynowych Introduction / Kieran Walshe and Ruth Boaden -- pt. 1. Perspectives on patient safety. 1. Clinical perspectives on patient safety / Aneez Esmail -- 2. Sociological contributions to patient safety / Elizabeth West -- 3. Psychological approaches to patient safety / Dianne Parker and Rebecca Lawton -- 4. The contribution of quality management to patient safety / Ruth Boaden -- 5. Technology, informatics and patient safety / Paul Beatty -- 6. Patient safety and the law / Michael A. Jones -- pt. 2. Approaches to evaluating patient safety. 7. Developing and using taxonomies of errors / Sue Dovey, John Hickner and Bob Phillips -- 8. Incident reporting and analysis / Sally Giles, Martin Fletcher, Maureen Baker and Richard Thomson -- 9. Using chart review and clinical databases to study medical error / Tony J. Avery, Rachel L. Howard and Caroline J. Morris -- 10. Techniques used in the investigation and analysis of critical incidents in health care Stephen Rogers, Sally Taylor-Adams and Maria Woloshynowych -- 11. Learning from litigation: the role of claims analysis in patient safety / Charles Vincent, Kieran Walshe, Caroline Davy and Aneez Esmail -- 12. Ethnographic methods in patient safety / Rachel Finn and Justin Waring -- 13. Evaluating safety culture / Susan Kirk, Martin Marshall, Tanya Claridge, Aneez Esmail and Dianne Parker -- pt. 3. Patient safety in practice. 14. Patient safety: education, training and professional development / Amanda Howe -- 15. Pathways to patient safety: the use of rules and guidelines in health care / Tanya Claridge, Dianne Parker and Gary Cook -- 16. Team performance, communication and patient safety / Shirley Pearce, Fiona Watts and Alison Watkin -- 17. Conclusion -- and the way forward / Ruth Boaden and Kieran Walshe -- Index.