Background

This is the fourth and final conference in an international series of conferences focusing on patient safety applying lessons from other safety critical industries. The first was held at The Royal College of Surgeons in November 2006, the second hosted by Children’s Hospital of Boston in October 2007, and the third hosted by The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in February 2008. This conference is hosted by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.

The Issue at Stake:

Problems and errors arise in many high-risk industries when human fallibility interacts with complex technology. Many of these industries have made significant strides towards cultural improvements, focusing on systems change, human factors, and team building. Similar lessons and changes can and need to be readily applied to health care delivery. To highlight the problem in medicine the Centre for Disease Control estimated approximately 290 avoidable deaths per day in the US alone. Similarly, the WHO have estimated that of the 230 million operations carried out annually around the globe there are around 3.5 million avoidable disabling complications and half a million avoidable deaths. The greatest potential for improvement in patient outcome over the next quarter century, might well therefore come, not from new technologies, but from learning how to deliver already known effective therapies more safely.

The aim of the conference:

Is to learn about the intricate balance of risk and benefit, human factors, teamwork and leadership from the highest achievers in the world of business, military, exploration, space, human factors, survival, media and sport.

RISKY BUSINESS
Friday 16th May 2008