Error Producing Conditions in the Intensive Care Unit

Excerpt

Up to 98,000 patients die because of human error in U.S. hospitals each year. Among the areas where errors occur frequently is the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite the impact of these errors, little research has identified the human factors that contribute to errors in the ICU. The current study uses the error-producing conditions (EPC) approach to help identify device-related factors that contribute to error. One result of the present study was the identification of the extent to which individual conditions contribute to the prevalence of error. In addition, we identified the contribution of certain devices to the prevalence of error. More importantly, the most critical devices for patient care were also identified as the devices that were rated highest in EPC prevalence. Developing medical devices designed to reduce the device-related potential for patient harm should be a primary goal in patient safety.