TY  - JOUR
T1  - PRevention of patient harm
AU  - Starr LM, Braslow A, Bircher N
Y1  - 2012/12/19
N1  - 10.1001/jama.2012.68799
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 2458
EP  - 2459
VL  - 308
IS  - 23
N2  - 
To the Editor: The Viewpoint by Drs Pronovost and Bo-Linn1 on reducing patient harm “in the same way that engineers manage dynamic complexity: as a systems problem that requires an interdisciplinary systems solution” made 2 linked arguments. The first is that thinking analytically (ie, treating parts as both separate and independent) is “challenging, if not impossible” when faced with a systems problem. Analysis can usually quantify what is wrong but is frequently not useful to explain why. The better approach to a complex systems problem, including hospital-based medical harms, requires one to think systemically. The second argument is that thinking systemically means using systems-based methods that focus on interactions and integration.

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.68799
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.68799
ER  -