Analysis of errors reported by surgeons at three teaching hospitals
SurgeryPublished 1 June 2003Open access
Atul A. Gawande, Michael J. Zinner, David M. Studdert, Troyen A. Brennan
Citations1,079
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TL;DR
Subjective incident reports gathered through interviews allow identification of characteristics of surgical errors and their leading contributing factors, which may help target research and interventions to reduce such errors.
Abstract
Subjective incident reports gathered through interviews allow identification of characteristics of surgical errors and their leading contributing factors, which may help target research and interventions to reduce such errors.
Keywords
MedicineHealth Professions
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