ABSTRACT
Mistake proofing is important for ensuring clinical and operational quality, preventing system breakdown, and designing better operational pathways for the future. Equally important is the concept of process and outcomes analysis in detecting mistakes. Mistake proofing was popularized by Shigeo Shingo at Toyota in the mid-1960s, but its Japanese origins with respect to the Toyota Production System trace all the way back to the early 1900s and Sakichi Toyoda. Prior to becoming an auto-manufacturing family, the Toyodas were famous for their innovation in the design of looms for making cloth. Brainstorming is an important aspect of group-based problem solving. The goal of this group-based exercise is to solicit as many ideas from the group as possible. In healthcare, the systematic approach to quality and performance improvement is present in varying degrees, yet there is plenty of room for improvement. Systems should be defined to collect information on system outcomes.
