From the cockpit to the cancer center: DFCI and team training

Aiming to control the incidence of medical errors, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston created a three-month patient-oriented team training campaign using out-of-industry principles to empower ambulatory patients and their families to actively pursue safe care.

A February 2009 article in the Joint Commission Journal of Quality and Patient Safety summarizes a high performance team training environment adapted to an oncology clinical environment. Oncology care is often delivered in multispecialty teams and with the patient's and family's active involvement. To examine the potential value of a patient-oriented teamwork intervention, a teamwork training initiative for oncology patients and their families was developed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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Incomplete handoffs causing patient harm in a survey of medical and surgical house staff

In the October issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, patient handoffs that fail to provide clinicians with accurate and complete information are a significant source of patient harm.  Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital surveyed 238 medical or surgical residents during the study.

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