Surrogate decision makers' perspectives on preventable breakdowns in care among critically ill patients: a qualitative study.

Fisher KA, Ahmad S, Jackson M, Mazor KM. Patient Educ Couns. 2016 Mar 26; [Epub ahead of print].

This qualitative study used in-depth interviews with family members of critically ill patients to assess their perception of safety and quality problems. Nearly half of surrogate decision makers identified at least one safety concern, most often relating to communication from clinicians. Patient and family identification of errors is an important strategy for engaging patients in safety efforts.

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