Biomaterial Database

Setting up a database of medical error in general practice: conceptual and methodological considerations. 2001

A Sheikh, and B Hurwitz

Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice, Imperial College School of Medicine, St Dunstan's Road, London W6 8RP. aziz.sheikh@ic.ac.uk

Though common and the cause of much morbidity and health cost, medical error has until recently attracted little attention from primary care workers. A database that logs medical error, operating within the context of clinical governance initiatives at the level of Primary Care Groups, could provide an appropriate framework within which to scrutinise and identify systematic organisational features associated with risk of serious adverse events. This paper discusses some of the key conceptual and methodological issues that need to be resolved before such a database can be implemented in general practice and considers these deliberations in the light of the Chief Medical Officer for England's recent report, An organisation with a memory.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011785	Quality Assurance, Health Care	Activities and programs intended to assure or improve the quality of care in either a defined medical setting or a program. The concept includes the assessment or evaluation of the quality of care; identification of problems or shortcomings in the delivery of care; designing activities to overcome these deficiencies; and follow-up monitoring to ensure effectiveness of corrective steps.	Quality Assessment, Health Care,Health Care Quality Assessment,Health Care Quality Assurance,Healthcare Quality Assessment,Healthcare Quality Assurance,Quality Assessment, Healthcare,Quality Assurance, Healthcare,Assessment, Healthcare Quality,Assessments, Healthcare Quality,Assurance, Healthcare Quality,Assurances, Healthcare Quality,Healthcare Quality Assessments,Healthcare Quality Assurances,Quality Assessments, Healthcare,Quality Assurances, Healthcare
D002983	Clinical Competence	The capability to perform acceptably those duties directly related to patient care.	Clinical Skills,Competence, Clinical,Clinical Competency,Clinical Skill,Competency, Clinical,Skill, Clinical,Skills, Clinical,Clinical Competencies,Competencies, Clinical
D003219	Confidentiality	The privacy of information and its protection against unauthorized disclosure.	Patient Data Privacy,Privacy of Patient Data,Privileged Communication,Confidential Information,Secrecy,Communication, Privileged,Communications, Privileged,Data Privacy, Patient,Information, Confidential,Privacy, Patient Data,Privileged Communications
D003625	Data Collection	Systematic gathering of data for a particular purpose from various sources, including questionnaires, interviews, observation, existing records, and electronic devices. The process is usually preliminary to statistical analysis of the data.	Data Collection Methods,Dual Data Collection,Collection Method, Data,Collection Methods, Data,Collection, Data,Collection, Dual Data,Data Collection Method,Method, Data Collection,Methods, Data Collection
D005194	Family Practice	A medical specialty concerned with the provision of continuing, comprehensive primary health care for the entire family.	Family Practices,Practice, Family,Practices, Family
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016208	Databases, Factual	Extensive collections, reputedly complete, of facts and data garnered from material of a specialized subject area and made available for analysis and application. The collection can be automated by various contemporary methods for retrieval. The concept should be differentiated from DATABASES, BIBLIOGRAPHIC which is restricted to collections of bibliographic references.	Databanks, Factual,Data Banks, Factual,Data Bases, Factual,Data Bank, Factual,Data Base, Factual,Databank, Factual,Database, Factual,Factual Data Bank,Factual Data Banks,Factual Data Base,Factual Data Bases,Factual Databank,Factual Databanks,Factual Database,Factual Databases
D016365	Liability, Legal	Accountability and responsibility to another, enforceable by civil or criminal sanctions.	Institutional Liability,Personal Liability,Professional Liability,Legal Liability,Medical Liability,Torts,Institutional Liabilities,Legal Liabilities,Liabilities, Institutional,Liabilities, Legal,Liabilities, Medical,Liabilities, Personal,Liabilities, Professional,Liability, Institutional,Liability, Medical,Liability, Personal,Liability, Professional,Medical Liabilities,Personal Liabilities,Professional Liabilities,Tort
D019300	Medical Errors	Errors or mistakes committed by health professionals which result in harm to the patient. They include errors in diagnosis (DIAGNOSTIC ERRORS), errors in the administration of drugs and other medications (MEDICATION ERRORS), errors in the performance of surgical procedures, in the use of other types of therapy, in the use of equipment, and in the interpretation of laboratory findings. Medical errors are differentiated from MALPRACTICE in that the former are regarded as honest mistakes or accidents while the latter is the result of negligence, reprehensible ignorance, or criminal intent.	Medical Mistakes,Surgical Errors,Critical Incidents, Medical,Critical Medical Incidents,Errors, Medical,Errors, Surgical,Medical Error of Commission,Medical Error of Omission,Medical Errors of Commission,Medical Errors of Omission,Medical Mistake,Mistake, Medical,Mistakes, Medical,Never Event,Surgical Error,Wrong-Patient Surgery,Wrong-Procedure Errors,Wrong-Site Surgery,Commission Medical Error,Commission Medical Errors,Critical Incident, Medical,Critical Medical Incident,Error, Medical,Error, Surgical,Error, Wrong-Procedure,Errors, Wrong-Procedure,Event, Never,Events, Never,Incident, Critical Medical,Incident, Medical Critical,Incidents, Critical Medical,Incidents, Medical Critical,Medical Critical Incident,Medical Critical Incidents,Medical Error,Medical Incident, Critical,Medical Incidents, Critical,Never Events,Omission Medical Error,Omission Medical Errors,Surgeries, Wrong-Patient,Surgeries, Wrong-Site,Surgery, Wrong-Patient,Surgery, Wrong-Site,Wrong Patient Surgery,Wrong Procedure Errors,Wrong Site Surgery,Wrong-Patient Surgeries,Wrong-Procedure Error,Wrong-Site Surgeries