Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety

Medical errors are among the leading causes of death in the United States, so it is critical that medical students learn about the nuances of healthcare quality and patient safety.

The goals of this thread are to ensure that every Feinberg student:

• Understands current evidence regarding patient safety, including human factors, process improvement science and core principles
• Is familiar with the recommendations of the 1999 Institute of Medicine report “To Err Is Human”
• Understands current evidence regarding healthcare quality and the science behind quality improvement methodology
• Is familiar with:
  • The landmark article by McGlynn demonstrating that healthcare professionals in the United States deliver evidence-based care only 55 percent of the time
  • The Dartmouth Atlas, which demonstrates high variation and cost of care without improved outcomes
  • The 2001 Institute of Medicine report “Crossing the Quality Chasm”

Learn more about teaching opportunities in this area.