Error and patient safety: ethical analysis of cases in occupational and physical therapy practice

• Published in: Medicine, health care, and philosophy Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 301 - 311
• Main Authors: Scheirton, Linda S, Mu, K, Lohman, H, Cochran, T M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Springer Nature B.V 01.09.2007
• Subjects: Attitude of Health Personnel; Bioethics; Ethical Analysis; Ethics, Clinical; Focus Groups; Humans; Medical Errors - ethics; Medical Errors - prevention & control; Medical Records - standards; Occupational Therapy - ethics; Physical Therapy Specialty - ethics; Professional Competence; Professional-Patient Relations - ethics; Safety Management - ethics; United States; United States; USA
• ISSN: 1386-7423; 1572-8633
• DOI: 10.1007/s11019-007-9049-3

Compared to other health care professions such as medicine, nursing and pharmacy, few studies have been conducted to examine the nature of practice errors in occupational and physical therapy. In an ongoing study to determine root causes, typographies and impact of occupational and physical therapy error on patients, focus group interviews have been conducted across the United States. A substantial number of harmful practice errors and/or other patient safety events (deviations or accidents) have been identified. Often these events have had moral dimensions that troubled the therapist involved. In this article, six of these transcribed cases are analyzed, using predominant bioethical theories, ethical principles and professional codes of ethics. The cases and their analyses are intended to be exemplary, improving the readers' ability to discern and critically address similar such events. Several patient safety strategies are suggested that might have prevented the events described in these cases.