ENCORE: Medical Errors and How to Minimize Them, Part 1

Dr. Danielle Ofri, author of “When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error,” discusses how mistakes occur—and what steps are being taken to minimize them. Medical errors were once estimated to account for nearly 100,000 deaths per year, the third leading cause of death, tantamount to the toll of a fully-loaded jumbo jet crashing every single day. But is it really that clear cut? Can checklists minimize mistakes? How might elaborate “failsafe” electronic medical records actually contribute to the stress and overwork that leads health professionals to err? Can artificial intelligence systems come to the rescue? Why our current malpractice system is an inefficient deterrent. Dr. Ofri is also author of a just-released article in the New Yorker entitled “A Bellevue Doctor’s Pandemic Diary.” Click HERE for part 2.