How We Can Engineer a Less Costly Health Care System
If we want to rein in the costs of the U.S. health-care system — now equal to nearly 18 percent of the nation's gross domestic… Read More »How We Can Engineer a Less Costly Health Care System
Preventing Patient Harm
Common Symptoms, Uncommon Causes: Reducing Misdiagnosis on the Front Lines
In 2013, a 52-year-old man went to an emergency department complaining of dizziness. Physicians evaluated him, decided that it was a benign condition — as… Read More »Common Symptoms, Uncommon Causes: Reducing Misdiagnosis on the Front Lines
Thinking Outside the Hospital: A Call to Action for Outpatient Safety
Health care has been thinking about medical errors for nearly 20 years, starting with the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report “To Err is Human.” This… Read More »Thinking Outside the Hospital: A Call to Action for Outpatient Safety
How Teamwork Can Reduce Missed Diagnoses
Every American will experience a missed or delayed diagnosis at some point in his or her lifetime. Saying that is not a scare tactic —… Read More »How Teamwork Can Reduce Missed Diagnoses
How the Flint Water Crisis Is a Cautionary Tale for Health Care
There has been no shortage of blame for the poisoning of Flint, Michigan's water supply. In March, a governor-appointed task force issued a report that… Read More »How the Flint Water Crisis Is a Cautionary Tale for Health Care
Improving the Odds for a Chance at Life
Tens of thousands of people owe their lives to extracorporeal life support (ECLS) — a treatment that uses mechanical devices to perform the work of… Read More »Improving the Odds for a Chance at Life
It’s Not All About the Checklist: The Power of Believing and Belonging
Trine Engebretsen was clinging to life. It was the early 1980s, and the girl had a genetic liver disorder that would kill her if she… Read More »It’s Not All About the Checklist: The Power of Believing and Belonging
Patient Safety at 15: How Much Have We Grown?
Fifteen-year anniversaries often come and go without fuss, overlooked in favor of those we can mark in full decades. Yet recently, at Johns Hopkins and… Read More »Patient Safety at 15: How Much Have We Grown?
Why White Coats Should Be Optional
Would my white lab coat be better put to use when I carve the Christmas roast than when seeing patients? After all, we know that… Read More »Why White Coats Should Be Optional
Potential Bias in U.S. News Patient Safety Scores
In this post, I present the case that U.S. News & World Report’s patient safety score, a component of its annual Best Hospitals rankings, has… Read More »Potential Bias in U.S. News Patient Safety Scores