Prevention of Medical Errors

What you'll learn

• Upon completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
• Define medical errors and distinguish between active and latent system failures.
• Explain the principles of systems theory and their application to patient safety improvement.
• Identify common human factors and cognitive biases that contribute to medical errors in healthcare settings.
• Discuss the impact of fatigue, workload, interruptions, and environmental conditions on clinical performance and patient safety.
• Describe the Swiss Cheese Model and its relevance to healthcare error prevention.
• Apply principles of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to evaluate adverse events and identify contributing system factors.
• Explain the purpose and process of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in proactive risk reduction.
• Identify characteristics of high-reliability organizations and their role in promoting patient safety.
• Discuss the importance of just culture, interdisciplinary communication, and non-punitive error reporting systems.
• Implement evidence-based strategies that reduce preventable harm and strengthen safety culture in clinical practice.