Problem
Part 1: Most quality improvement teams blame human errors for harm to patients. Is this true? Why or why not?
Scenario: A senior physician is tired of getting too many alerts and warnings while using the electronic medical records (EMR) system. He disables the alarms because he is confident about what he is doing. He does not need these repeated warnings. Then, a junior physician uses the EMR in the next shift. She does not know that the alarms are disabled. She prescribes a wrong medication because the system did not warn her that her new prescription was incompatible with the current medications being taken by the patient. The patient condition kept getting worse.
Part 2: How would you handle the situation between the two physicians? What skills and tools would you use to improve quality? Include two references to support your opinions.