Medical errors – wall of silence Academic Level : Bachelor Paper details A scholarly paper that addresses all four sections of the book will be completed. Submit the entry by the posted due date. The entry requires the use of APA (see rubric). There is no length requirement for the entry however, to earn all potential points each student must a) have read the book, b) applied the course material as necessary as demonstrated through citing/referencing of course materials, and c) addressed all the assignment criteria. The book should be cited and included on the reference page with other necessary sources as evidence of understanding the course material and content. Based upon Gibson and Singh Part 1 and 2: Gibson and Singh provided alarming statistics based upon the IOM’s 1999 report of 100,000 deaths per year due to medical errors. According to Gibson and Singh, this translates to 275 deaths due to medical errors every day. Based on the number of deaths known, and considering the potential number for unaccounted deaths, reflect on the book and address the following: 1. Part 1 of Gibson and Singh details 10 patient-family accounts and their experience with medical error. Select one of the cases and discuss the following areas: a. Summarize and provide an overview of the selected case. b. Describe the type of error that occurred in the case (examples include: medication errors, misdiagnosis, a delay in treatment, cross contamination, failure to take the necessary precautions, surgical errors, unnecessary treatment, missed warning signs, etc.). c. Discuss the underlying cause of the selected medical error that occurred in the selected case. d. Compare one or more quality or safety initiative that now exists that could have prevented the error? (Cite the source where the initiative, guideline or protocol was found). 3. Discuss the role of nurses in developing a culture of safety interdependent upon a professional code of ethics. a. Explain some of the reasons nurses fail to report errors and describe potential consequences to the nurse, patient, facility, and system associated with failure to report. b. Discuss some of the reasons that have resulted in the nursing shortage and the subsequent effects on patient safety, quality of care, and the potential for errors in the health care system. c. Explain the importance of quality improvement as the process pertains to improving the quality and safety of patient care. 4. Support entries with quotations from the book as needed and with additional literature and sources from the course and the library. Based upon Gibson and Singh Part 3 and 4 The culture of cover-up is contradictory to our professional code of ethics. Gibson and Singh provided a detailed overview of why medical errors occur and they provided rationales behind the culture of cover-up in the health care environment. They described potential methods of regulation and reporting to better inform patients and consumers about their health care providers. Gibson and Singh also devoted an entire chapter to the use of technology making health care safer. Consider the importance of developing competency in nursing informatics and technology in healthcare. How might these systems impact nursing practice now and in the future? 5. Describe the meaning of the ‘culture of coverup’ and the consequences to patients, families, the public, and healthcare facilities. 6. Explain how healthcare consumers can access and investigate potential providers or facilities before making selections about health care providers and facilities. 7. Explain the benefit(s) for healthcare organizations that initiate voluntary reporting systems for internal use and how the information and data collected can be utilized for quality improvement project(s) to continually improve the safety of health care provided to patients.? 8. Describe the need for healthcare providers to use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making? How does technology support safety at health care facilities? 9. Gibson and Singh compared the current health care system to less flawed, safer industries, like aviation. Compare and contrast safety and quality in health care when compared to the aviation industry? 10. Support entries with quotations from the book as needed and with literature and sources from the course and the library (see requirements in # 15) 11. The scholarly paper should be in narrative format, 5 to 7 pages excluding the title and reference page. 12. Include an introductory paragraph, purpose statement, and a conclusion. 13. Include level 1 and 2 headings to organize the paper. 14. Write the paper in third person, not first person (meaning do not use ‘we’ or ‘I’) and in a scholarly manner. To clarify: I, we, you, me, our may not be used. In addition, describing yourself as the researcher or the author should not be used. 15. Include a minimum of 4 professional peer-reviewed scholarly journal references to support the paper (review in Ulrich Periodical Directory) and be less than five (5) years old. 16. APA format is required (attention to spelling/grammar, a title page, a reference page, and in-text citations
