DO NO MORE HARM,”Learning from Error –( From Research to Implementation)-. -----------------------------

DO NO MORE HARM,”Learning from Error –( From Research to Implementation)-. ----------------------------- “DO NO MORE HARM,” a dictum all Medical trainees learn while undergoing (ATLS)Advanced Trauma life support training which holds good for all times in medical practice. I am thankful to Mr Wadoo(op-ed Gk 20/7/2010) to elaborate further upon the theme of my article –“ Creating Safety System and Accountability in Health Care Organizations”-How can we do better ? He nicely highlighted certain issues which I couldn,t accommodate in my write up due to editorial restrictions. Patient safety is a serious global public health issue. The sole purpose of my article was to put reminders for the International Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety which we should adopt in our health care system.I was recommending the programme of “WHO Patient Safety “which aims to coordinate, disseminate and accelerate improvements in patient safety worldwide. Estimates show that in developing countries, the probability of patients being harmed in hospitals is higher than in industrialized nations. Unfortunately Mr Wadoo while putting the reminders mixed the causes of increased hospital mortality( a separate debatable issue )- with preventable Hospital errors .I was highlighting WHO Universal Protocol—steps for Preventing Wrong site, Wrong procedure, and Wrong person surgery.; initiating check lists and following ABC,s of safety before/after any interventions or handling machinery—(which pilots do untiringly before and after every flight )has nothing to do with late presentation or critical nature of patient. Safety list cuts surgery deaths- Deaths and complications dropped by an astounding one-third when operating room doctors and nurses completed a simple The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (Time/sign in-out -before, during, and after surgery, according to a study led by Harvard ( New England Journal of Medicine )study. There is no Doctor who intends to have bad outcome in his patients,Doctor is the happiest to see his patient recovering ,but unfortunately errors do occur because of “omission or commission”. Doctors have worked under odd circumstances and even donated their blood to save their lives besides working extra time- a way forward and hope of bringing nobility back into the medical profession. DR Fiaz Fazili