Editor’s Notebook: Summer Reading

Editor’s Notebook

Summer Reading

Staying current on developments in patient
safety and quality improvement allows me to indulge my eclectic taste
in reading. Looking back at what I’ve read this summer, I see a wide
range of topics and a couple of books in particular that I’d like to
recommend.

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Viewpoint: An Injustice Has Been Done

Viewpoint

An Injustice Has Been Done: Jail Time for an Error

Eric Cropp is an Ohio hospital pharmacist who was involved in a tragic
medication error that cost the life of a beautiful little girl named
Emily Jerry. For that, he was punished by a criminal court: 6 months in
jail, 6 months home confinement with an electronic sensor locked to his
ankle, 3 years probation, 400 hours of community service, a fine of
$5,000, and payment of court costs.

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AHRQ: One Decade after To Err Is Human

AHRQ

Patient Safety: One Decade after To Err Is Human

Nearly 10 years ago, the news that more people
die each year from medical errors in U.S. hospitals than from traffic
accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS (IOM, 2000) shocked the nation. We
have made much progress in building a foundation to address patient
safety since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM)
report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, but considerable work remains to ensure that patients are safe every day and in every place where they receive healthcare.

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Health IT & Quality: We Need Privacy Now

Health IT & Quality

We Need Privacy Now

Although a simple definition, it captures our greatest concern about
the digitization of our medical information. Who will access my medical
record? Will the information be used against me? Will it be released on
the Internet?

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