According to a report, "A Stri...

According to a report, "A String of Mistakes: The Importance of Cascade Analysis in Describing, Counting, and Preventing Medical Errors," published in the July/August issue of Annals of Family Medicine, chiefly medical errors in family medicine begin with miscommunication. Researchers analyzed 75 anonymous error reports from 18 U family physicians and documented errors in 77 percent of incidents. About 80 percent of the errors involved about form of miscommunication, such as an error in medical record data or a communication breakdown between the physician and patients or colleagues. The exhibit was a collaboration between authors in the Department of Family Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, and the Robert Graham Center: Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care in Washington, DC More information is available online at http://www.aafp.org/x28597.xml. For the cloyed article, go to http://www.annfammed.org/cgi/content/full/2/4/317.

COPYRIGHT 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group