Better cooperation and less measurement

Baker and Norton offer an analysis for tackling medical error that, while not wrong, is very traditional in the policy solutions it recommends. The research priority should not be better measurement of error, but instead increased international cooperation to find solutions to existing problems. For instance, rather than developing new databases for mapping errors, existing databases should be utilized to create a learning culture that addresses existing problems. Within this, understanding errors in primary care is essential,and thus research should not restrict the study of errors to clinical situations. Changing the culture of medicine is difficult. A model of governance that emphasizes quality and accountability may be a mechanism for developing a culture within medicine that reduces error and improves patient safety.