ABSTRACT
The term “pitfall” refers to a concealed danger or trap to an unsuspecting person. In the context of this chapter, it refers to situations encountered in the management of trauma that may result in the clinician being misled or rendered unaware, resulting in errors and adverse outcomes. Any discussion of clinical management pitfalls is, almost by definition, a discussion of potential human errors as well as associated latent failures in a system of care. While the focus of this chapter is on individual decision making and potential practitioner-based errors, practitioners are increasingly being viewed as one element in a complex system of care. Practitioner errors in this context are increasingly being viewed more as manifestations of system-based failures (inadequate training, insufficient back-up, hardto-use equipment, fatigue, etc.) than as avoidable lapses in expected human behavior.
