COMPLICATIONS IN PEDIATRIC SURGERY

Changes to the structure and the accountability process of the United States health care system have prompted an interest in patient safety. With a conservative estimate of 44,000 deaths per year that are attributed to medical error, the blame falls on the individual health care provider, however, in other industries (nuclear power, aviation and manufacturing), the emphasis has been placed on an interplay between human and system error. This approach to error management has not been associated in the healthcare field. Complications in Pediatric Surgery: an Individual and Systems Approach examines the relationship between human and system error and presents these concepts in a conceptual methodized order ideally suited to surgical specialties.