Medical Error: What Do We Know? What Do We Do?

Eds Marilynn M Rosenthal, Kathleen M Sutcliffe Jossey-Bass, $45, pp 368 ![][1] ISBN 0 7879 6395 X Rating: ![Graphic][2] ![Graphic][3] ![Graphic][4] For ordering details, see www.josseybass.com The causes of medical error are well documented: stress, burnout, and loss of autonomy among physicians; nurses' unwillingness to challenge or question doctors' actions; the complexity and interdependence of medical procedures; fear of litigation; and strained resources. More than 80% of medical error, though, according to this book, can be blamed on non-communication or miscommunication. And what we do about all this is, like medicine itself, not entirely an exact science. This book emerged from a conference at the … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-3.gif