Medical mistakes happen all the time. Each year, 6.1 million Americans are harmed by diagnostic mistakes, drug disasters, and medical treatments. A decade ago, the Institute of Medicine estimated that up to 98,000 people died in hospitals each year from preventable medical errors--and new research suggests the toll is much higher. Patient advocates Joe and Teresa Graedon came face-to-face with the tragic consequences of doctors' screwups when Joe's...

"With coverage ranging from the influence of professional identity in medicine and problematic nature of "human error", to the psychological and social features that characterize healthcare work, to the safety-critical aspects of interfaces and automation, this book spans the width of the human factors field and its importance for patient safety today. In addition, the book discusses topics such as accountability, just culture, and secondary victimization...