Human error and patient safety: interdisciplinary course.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Human Error Analysis

Background:

• The medical field is increasingly recognizing the impact of human error on patient safety.
• There is a growing need to educate health professions students on identifying, preventing, and mitigating medical errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an interdisciplinary course focused on human error and patient safety.
• The course was designed to enhance students' understanding of patient safety concepts.

Main Methods:

• A semester-long course involved six interdisciplinary student groups from five university colleges.
• Curriculum included expert lectures, readings, case studies, and patient safety problem analysis.
• Student assessment was based on group projects and peer evaluations.

Main Results:

• Nursing students achieved the highest scores across all evaluated categories.
• Physician and medical students demonstrated lower scores in team participation and engagement.
• All students reported a high course rating and improved interprofessional collaboration skills.

Conclusions:

• Students demonstrated enhanced knowledge and skills in patient safety and human error.
• Interdisciplinary teamwork improved students' understanding of collaborative roles in healthcare systems.
• The course effectively prepared students for interprofessional practice in healthcare settings.