When We Do Harm

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Explores the diagnostic, systemic, and cognitive causes of medical error. Dr. Ofri advocates for strategic use of concrete safety interventions such as checklists and improvements to the electronic medical record, but focuses on the full-scale cultural and cognitive shifts required to make a meaningful dent in medical error. Woven throughout the book are the powerfully human stories that Dr. Ofri is renowned for. The errors the author dissects range from the hardly noticeable missteps to the harrowing medical cataclysms. While our healthcare system is--and always will be--imperfect, Dr. Ofri argues that it is possible to minimize preventable harms, and that this should be the galvanizing issue of current medical discourse. --Adapted from publisher description