The Wrong Patient

Robert M. Wachter; Kaveh G. Shojania; Sanjay Saint; Amy J. Markowitz; Mark Smith

doi:10.7326/0003-4819-138-6-200303180-00025

Letters |18 March 2003

The Wrong Patient

Robert M. Wachter, MD; Kaveh G. Shojania, MD; Sanjay Saint, MD, MPH; Amy J. Markowitz, JD; Mark Smith, MD, MBA

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information

IN RESPONSE:

We appreciate each of the correspondents' kind words about the Quality Grand Rounds series and agree that forthright discussions of medical errors are needed in order for individual physicians, and the systems we work in, to learn from our collective mistakes.

Dr. Sandroni laments present-day nursing systems, which frequently dispense with the traditional head nurse role. The absence of this point-of-service management presence, he argues, may create a communication or advocacy gap that contributes to errors. Dr. Sandroni's suggestion that patients enter the hospital accompanied by an advocate is indeed a rueful indictment of the status quo. Not all patients can or will have such an advocate. They should also be asking hospitals what systems for patient protection are in place to make such steps less necessary.

FULL TEXT

PDF

Not Available

2003 American College of Physicians

Letters |18 March 2003

The Wrong Patient

See Also

Content

Information For

Services

Awards and Cover

Other Resources

Follow Annals On

Letters |18 March 2003

The Wrong Patient

See Also

Content

Information For

Services

Awards and Cover

Other Resources

Follow Annals On

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.