Safer Healthcare: Strategies for the Real World.
Written by two leaders in the patient safety field, Charles Vincent and Rene Amalberti, this book is available for free download on an open access platform. In the preface, the authors say the title reflects the fact that most current safety initiatives are focused on optimizing clinical processes or system improvements, which may succeed in a reasonably controlled environment. However, they sought to show how methods should be aimed at managing risks in the real, complex conditions of health care. The overall approach is oriented around examining safety from the patient's perspective and establishing patient safety as "the management of risk over time." There are separate chapters dedicated to safety strategies in hospitals, home care, and primary care. A prior PSNet interview with Charles Vincent discussed his career as one of the founders of the patient safety movement.