Educating undergraduate medical students about patient safety: Priority areas for curriculum development

Abstract

Learning about patient safety is an important aspect of undergraduate medical curricula but there are no clear priority areas. A recent consensus of international medical educators identified several priority areas and these recommendations include approaches to increase knowledge of patient safety, including the causes and frequency, to develop willingness to take responsibility, to develop self awareness of the situations when patient safety is compromised, to develop communication skills, especially inter-personal, and to develop team working skills.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John Sandars

JOHN SANDARS, MB ChB (Hons) MSc FRCGP MRCP CertEd, is Senior Lecturer in Community Based Education at the Medical Education Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

Nigel Bax

NIGEL BAX, MD FRCP, is Head of the Academic Unit of Medical Education at the University of Sheffield Academic Unit of Medical Education, Sheffield, UK.

David Mayer

DAVID MAYER, MD, is Assistant Dean for Curriculum in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.

Val Wass

VAL WASS, PhD FRCGP MRCP, is Professor of Community Based Medical Education in the Division of Primary Care at the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Rachel Vickers

RACHEL VICKERS, MB ChB FRCA, is a Consultant Anaesthetist at Queen's Hospital, Burton on Trent, UK.