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The Oral Syringe Case

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Organizing Patient Safety

Part of the book series: Health, Technology and Society ((HTE))

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Abstract

The best way to get acquainted with patient safety thinking and practice is by empirical example. In this chapter Pedersen investigates the introduction of a failsafe device—syringes for oral drug administration—in a medical centre and shows that although the healthcare professionals were persuaded to adopt and use the new safety system, the implementation of the device had massive unwanted consequences in terms of coordination problems, economic problems and new risks to patient safety. The chapter further displays how the failsafe vision of the patient safety programme and its system-engineering efforts risk challenging the training and nurture of important safety dispositions and routines in healthcare.

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Cite this chapter

Pedersen, K.Z. (2018). The Oral Syringe Case. In: Organizing Patient Safety. Health, Technology and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53786-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53786-7_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-53785-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-53786-7

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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