A review on patient safety

Background: Patient Safety Events (PSEs) are important preventable issues with high morbidity and mortality rates, imposing high costs and the occurrence of legal and social problems in societies. Therefore, having a prevention program is very important for it. In this study, we have selected the most common and important errors and provide simple preventive measures for users. Methods: In this review study, to obtain information associated to patient safety prevention, we used the scientific reliable literatures, registered in US National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health (PubMed), Google Scholar and Scopus data banks. Results: Simple preventive measures for prevention of mistakes due to misidentification (nominal similarities, displacement of the patients, switching the newborns, etc.), miscommunication (improper communications, patient disrespect, misinterpretations due to language differences, giving bad news, etc.), misinterpretations, irrational administration and use of drugs (inappropriate medication, for the wrong patient, with wrong amount, via the wrong way, and for the wrong duration), incompatible blood transfusion, mistakes in anesthesia, surgeries and other procedures, medical complications due to PSEs (Health care associated infections, trauma and fall, thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism, bed sores, suicide, violence, and mismanagement of the hospital affaires were extracted and suggested to the hospital authorities. Conclusion: We have extracted numerous suggested preventive measures from the accomplished studies for prevention of unpleasant patient safety related events in the hospitals.