Preventing practice errors and improving patient safety: an examination of case studies reflecting common errors in...

Like other health care professionals, occupational therapists make errors in clinical practice. Only recently have we systematically studied errors in occupational therapy practice. In this report, key findings from two grant projects in occupational therapy practice errors are further examined. Specifically, this report includes an in-depth analysis of five examples of occupational therapy practice errors in physical rehabilitation and geriatric settings. These examples from the five most commonly reported causes of errors found in a national survey study on occupational therapy errors are misjudgment, lack of preparation, lack of experience, lack of knowledge, and insufficient communication. For each of the five examples, hypothesized causes of errors and their implications for professional education training and current occupational therapy practice are explored. It is hoped that this report helps to better inform practice and educational approaches to contribute to the prevention and reduction of occupational therapy and other health care practice errors.