Patient Safety: We Need to Focus on our “Sphere of Influence” in our Larger “Sphere of Concern”

Patient safety is a diverse continuum of many interlinked processes and medical errors are a major threat to it. For instance, a patient may be operated on the wrong side. Faulty urethral catheterization by an aware = unaware but overzealous doctor doctor may result in urethral trauma and lifelong disability. Unsupervised placement of Central venous line by a novice doctor may result in a number of life threatening complications. Careless tube thoracostomy may cause gastric or cardiac penetration. A doctor may not have the know-how of a simple surgical intervention but embarks on major procedures beyond his scope and capacity hence endangering patient safety. There is indeed a long list of mishaps that can threaten patient safety. Most of these are largely related to training and capacity building of the young doctors and hence preventable with simple educational interventions.