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A Framework for Understanding Error and Complexity in Critical Care

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Cognitive Informatics in Health and Biomedicine

Part of the book series: Health Informatics ((HI))

Abstract

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a widely cited report [1] that suggested between 44,000 and 98,000 people die each year because of preventable medical error. Even the more conservative estimate suggests that medical error causes more death annually than motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. This report resulted in unprecedented focus of attention on the issue of error in medicine. However, there is little evidence of widely available improvements in patient safety. According to leading patient safety researcher Lucian Leape, of the primary barriers to progress ‘the first such challenge is (the) complexity’ of medical practice [2].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Trevor Cohen MB ChB, PhD

  2. Center for Cognitive Studies in Medicine and Public Health, New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Vimla L. Patel PhD, DSc, FRSC

  3. Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Vimla L. Patel PhD, DSc, FRSC

  4. Department of Biomedical Informatics, Arizona State University, Scottsdale, AZ, 85259, USA

    Vimla L. Patel PhD, DSc, FRSC

Authors
  1. Trevor Cohen MB ChB, PhD
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  2. Vimla L. Patel PhD, DSc, FRSC
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Trevor Cohen MB ChB, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York Academy of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Vimla L. Patel

  2. Arizona State University, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

    David R. Kaufman

  3. University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA

    Trevor Cohen

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Cohen, T., Patel, V.L. (2014). A Framework for Understanding Error and Complexity in Critical Care. In: Patel, V., Kaufman, D., Cohen, T. (eds) Cognitive Informatics in Health and Biomedicine. Health Informatics. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5490-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5490-7_2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-5489-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-5490-7

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