KEEPING CLIENTS SAFE: ERROR AND SAFETY IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SETTINGS

Course overview

This course focuses on five major components of the problem of medical error for the professional in a behavioral health setting: (1) the severity of the problem and the evolution of the patient safety movement; (2) human factors research and the importance of a culture of safety; (3) basic strategies to reduce harm, including safety briefings, root cause analysis, and full disclosure; (4) error-prone situations that are common in behavioral health settings; and (5) failure to detect medical conditions that have psychological symptoms. The course also describes the psychosocial needs of survivors of medical error and their families.