Adverse incidents and patient safety - improving the learning experience of junior doctors

Abstract

The need to ensure patient safety in the National Health Service (NHS) is a national priority. However, it has long been recognised that a culture of blame impedes learning from previous adverse incidents. It is important to feedback the outcomes of investigations into incidents to NHS staff, but junior doctors have little knowledge of learning points from investigations into adverse incidents. Learning from past mistakes would improve practice and the level of care provided by junior doctors. A forum for learning from mistakes could also provide an opportunity to review past incidents in an open and supportive environment. This could, in turn, start to change the current culture of blame in the NHS and contribute to higher standards of patient safety in the future.