We know medical error is a deadly problem. Why haven’t we fixed it?

It's the 20th anniversary of the report by the Institute of Medicine that uncovered up to 100,000 people were dying annually from preventable medical errors. Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Margaret Luciano explains why it's still more dangerous two decades later to get a medical procedure than to go sky diving.

Research shows the majority of medical errors can be traced to poor teamwork and communication as patients — and their medications, charts, labs, and scans — are passed between health care providers. While checklists and other interventions have been implemented, it's not enough. Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Margaret Luciano, who studies and consults on process improvement in hospitals nationwide, says numerous changes must be implemented across the health care system.

In this story published Nov. 29, 2019, in The Boston Globe:

We need to adapt interventions to fit the local context, provide ongoing training, and identify and address barriers to adoption of new practices and processes.

– Margaret Luciano, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship