Problem:
Medical Errors In the past, medical errors were just seen as something that happened. Healthcare is complicated, with limited technology and the days of paper charting making things even harder. The unpredictability of health meant errors were often blamed on a lack of knowledge or skill, without looking at the bigger, systemic issues that contributed to them. Over time, with better technology and more knowledge, we've shifted how we view medical errors. While they still happen, there are now more systems in place to prevent them, and incentives to improve. We work more collaboratively now, and we've become more specialized. We understand diseases better, so patients are treated by experts in specific fields. There's also more legal and regulatory pressure, so doctors and nurses can be held accountable for mistakes. One of the biggest reasons to reduce errors is simple-keeping patients safe and improving their outcomes. When patients leave the hospital better than when they arrived, it helps the hospital too by saving costs. Hospitals also need accreditation from organizations like The Joint Commission, which pushes for fewer errors. Plus, we have an ethical responsibility to "do no harm." At Strong, we use Epic's RL feature to report near misses. Want Online Tutoring?