Additional Statement on Medical Errors

National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research

Additional Statement, by Geneviève M. Clavreul

The first National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research was held on September 11, 2000, in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force (QuIC), the Summit’s goal was to review the information needs of individuals involved in reducing medical errors and improving patient safety. More importantly, the summit set a coordinated and usable research agenda for the future to answer these identified needs.

Selected applicants testified at the summit as members of the witness panels. The remainder of the applicants were invited to submit written comments for consideration by the steering committee. One of these statements follows.

Disclaimer and Copyright Statements

How often do medical boards remove the license of a physician found falsifying medical records - is there a different standard set for nurses vs. physician?

For example in California, a physician will often be placed on probation, where a nurse will lose her license.
This is quite possibly a key issue in medical errors and patient safety, since a judgement of standard of care is based on the records, if there is no "fear" of punitive action then a physician may feel there is no risk in falsifying a patient's record.

Are physicians and nurse equally disciplined?
Have studies similar to the articles, which I have attached, been recently reduplicated?

I have reduplicated the same studies twice since they were published and I have found that contrary to things improving, matters have worsened.

What has the impact of the influx of foreign nurses been to American nurses and the healthcare system?

Attachments:

When Nurses and Patients Suffer, Press Telegram, 1981
Unsafe Nursing Practices, Nursing Life, 1983
Keep that Nurse, Hospital Forum
Demotivation in the Nursing Profession, a four part series, ICU Forum, 1984

Current as of September 2000

Internet Citation:

Additional Statement by Geneviève M. Clavreul. National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research. September 2000. http://www.quic.gov/summit/aclavreul.htm

Return to Additional Statement Directory
National Summit on Medical Errors and Patient Safety Research
QuIC Home Page
Department of Health and Human Services