Characterizing Medical Error: A Primary Care Study;Final rept. 15 Sep 00-31 Aug 02

摘要

Research goals: (1) To develop patient-focused typologies of medical errors and injuries in ambulatory, primary care settings$ (2) To understand from patient perspectives which of these medical errors and injuries are the most common and the most serious$ (3) To compare and contrast the patient descriptions with reports of errors solicited from physicians$ and (4) To provide a basis for other investigations of the epidemiology, cause, and prevention of the most common and most serious errors/harms. Methods: Thirty-eight in-depth, anonymous interviews with individual primary care patients from rural, suburban, and urban communities in Virginia and Ohio, supplemented by three reactor panels (focus groups) of patients to corroborate analysis of the individual interviews. Primary and secondary coding of the transcripts is also critiqued by a team of investigators with expertise in race/ethnicity/gender issues, interpersonal communication, error analysis, and qualitative research design.