Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Preventing errors in clinical practice: a call for self-awareness.

Francesc Borrell-Carrió1, Ronald M Epstein

  • 1Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, CAP Cornellà, Catalonian Institute of Health (ICS), Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain. 12902fbc@comb.es

Annals of Family Medicine
|September 1, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Medical errors stem from both system and individual factors, particularly cognitive and emotional challenges in applying skills. Improving physician self-awareness and emotional regulation can prevent errors.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Time-limited trials for acute dialysis decision-making for critically ill older patients: rationale, communication strategies, and future research.

Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension·2026
Same author

Kidney-therapy decision-making among older adults and caregivers: treatment beliefs, prognostic information, and health priorities.

BMC nephrology·2025
Same author

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Palliative Care Intervention among Older Adults with Advanced CKD and Their Caregivers.

Kidney360·2025
Same author

Protocol of a decisional intervention for older adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia and their caregivers: UR-GOAL 3.

Journal of geriatric oncology·2025
Same author

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Palliative Care Intervention Among Older or Adults with Advanced CKD and their Caregivers.

Kidney360·2024
Same author

Palliative Care Acceptability for Older Adults with Advanced CKD: A Qualitative Study of Patients and Nephrologists.

Kidney medicine·2024

Area of Science:

  • Medical Education
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Patient Safety

Background:

  • Medical errors are often attributed to systemic issues, but individual factors also play a role.
  • These individual factors relate more to applying knowledge under specific circumstances than to a lack of knowledge itself.

Observation:

  • Physicians' emotional states frequently interfere with their clinical judgment, leading to errors.
  • A "rational-emotive model" suggests errors arise from difficulty reframing initial hypotheses and premature clinical closure to avoid cognitive dissonance.

Findings:

  • The study proposes that individual factors in medical errors are linked to cognitive biases and emotional interference.
  • Difficulty in adapting initial diagnostic hypotheses and premature closure of clinical reasoning are key contributors.

Related Experiment Videos

Implications:

  • Refining physicians' emotional and cognitive capacities, alongside system improvements, can enhance patient safety.
  • A teaching strategy focusing on self-awareness, emotional regulation, and managing uncertainty is proposed to mitigate medical errors.