VIDEO: David P. Gurka, MD, PhD, discusses medical errors
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WASHINGTON – A team-based approach and awareness of published guidelines related to critical care are crucial strategies to avoiding medical errors, said David P. Gurka, MD, PhD, from the Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine at Rush University.
“We’ve tried to highlight the importance of guidelines and interdisciplinary care in the care of the critically ill patient who is most vulnerable to mistakes,” he said.
The focus of this session at the American College of Physicians was especially timely given the report from the British Medical Journal that found that medical errors are now the third-leading cause of death in the United States.