ABSTRACT
Health.care. is.considered.a.high-risk.area.because.of.adverse.events.arising.from. treatment.rather. than.disease;.and.because. it.can. lead. to.situations.such.as.death,. serious.damage,.complications,.and.patient.suffering..Although.many.hospitals.and. health.care.settings.have.well-established.procedures.in.place.for.ensuring.patient. safety,.the.health.care.area.still.lags.behind.other.industrial.sectors.that.have.introduced.various.systematic.safety.processes..For.example,.the.United.States.lost.more. American.lives.to.patient.safety-related.problems.every.6.months.than.it.did.in.the. entire.Vietnam.War.period.1.This.also.equates.quite.favorably.to.three.fully.loaded. jumbo.air.planes.crashing.every.other.day.for.a.period.of.5.years.1,2
Needless.to.say,.patient.safety.is.a.relatively.recent.initiative.in.the.health.care. sector,. emphasizing. the. reporting,. analysis,. and. prevention. of. the. occurrence. of. adverse.health.care.events.and.medical.error..The.patient.safety.initiatives.include. many. items. including. application. of. lessons. learned. from. various. industrial. sectors,.advancing.technologies,.and.education.of.providers.and.the.public..This.chapter. presents.various.important.aspects.of.patient.safety.
