The research cycle: understanding causes
Classic studies in patient safety research
Due to the complex nature of health-care, there is no single reason why things go wrong.
Research is therefore needed to identify the major underlying causes of adverse events that lead to patient harm.
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Aiken
ppt, 814kb
Cross-sectional study
Aiken LH, Clarke SP, Sloane DM, Sochalski J, Silber JH. Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. JAMA, 2002: 288:1987-1993. -
Andrews
ppt, 757kb
Prospective ethnographic study
Andrews LB, Stocking C, Krizek T, et al. An alternative strategy for studying adverse events in medical care. Lancet. 1997; 349:309-313. -
Cullen
ppt, 606kb
Prospective cohort study
Cullen DJ, Sweitzer BJ, Bates DW, Burdick E, Edmondson A, Leape LL. Preventable adverse drug events in hospitalized patients: a comparative study of intensive care and general care units. Crit Care Med, 1997, 25:1289-1297. -
Wu
ppt, 611kb
Cross-sectional study
Wu AW, Folkman S, McPhee SJ, Lo B. Do house officers learn from their mistakes? JAMA, 1991, 265:2089-2094.