Safety, Patient

Abstract

The debate in bioethics around patient safety deals with the pervasive problem of medical error. A traditional reaction to medical error in the past focused on blaming individual professionals. This punitive method was called the professional sanctions model. However, it was unsuccessful insofar as medical errors continued extensively. An alternative is called the patient safety model. This new approach focuses on the organizational systems and processes underlying medical error. The goal is to shift from being reactive and punitive to being proactive and positive in the sense of preventing error and enhancing safety. At the core of this new method is the root cause analysis of errors to identify the underlying systems and processes that create an environment in which mistakes occur. This results in fostering a safety culture that encourages organizations to identify mistakes, to prevent sentinel events, and to support patients and families who have been hurt. As a result, this approach calls for better national reporting mechanisms of medical error to enhance patient safety in healthcare across the world.