Medical Errors Involving Trainees

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Abstract
Graduate medical education poses unique challenges for the delivery of safe patient care,1-3 and medical trainees face special risks of involvement in medical errors.4-10 This is predictable: trainees are inexperienced, often fatigued, and occasionally unsupervised, and the academic medical centers in which they work are typically large and complex facilities charged with treating the sickest patients. Despite recognition of these risk factors, information about the types and causes of trainee errors is limited.8 This knowledge gap inhibits the design of effective prevention strategies, such as targeted educational programs and system changes to reduce trainee errors and advance patient safety.11 An improved understanding of the causes of trainee errors could help guide the implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) core competencies into residency curricula in directions that advance patient safety.2