MDE 8036: Multidisciplinary Course in Patient Safety

Drs. Peter J. Fabri, Kay Perrin, Mary Webb, and Jose Zayas-Castro

This is an innovative, experimental course. Selected senior medical students, together with graduate students from engineering, nursing, communication and public health, will explore concepts of human error, patient safety, and related healthcare quality issues through a series of weekly seminars over three months. In addition, students will work in small interdisciplinary groups, together with faculty and staff from Tampa General Hospital and all four colleges, to identify and analyze a real patient safety problem and develop a solution. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the science relating to human error in general and human factors in particular, will master several critical skills in problem solving and error analysis, and will improve their skills in working together with other professionals in the collaborative resolution of a complex problem. Medical Students will receive credit for one block rotation, although the time commitment will be approximately 6 hours per week for three months (3 hours of seminar and 3 hours of small group work.) Invited experts will give many of the seminars, together with USF faculty from the five colleges. Each interdisciplinary group will be asked to give a summary presentation of their work and submit a referenced paper describing the project.

Objectives

1.  Explain the psychologic basis of human error
2. Summarize our understanding of error in medical practice
3. Explain the classification of medical error in at least one specialty of medical practice
4. Identify and analyze an actual patient safety problem at Tampa General Hospital
5. Perform a root cause analysis of a medical error
6. As a member of an interdisciplinary team, provide a feasible solution to a real patient safety problem

Evaluation

The student will be evaluated by course faculty, based on participation in class seminars and on the submitted interdisciplinary patient safety project.

Interested students must meet with Dr. Fabri prior to August. Students should be prepared to describe why they should be selected for the course.