Advance care planning (ACP) allows patients to express and document their preferences about medical treatment; however, there are concerns about uptake and documentation due to human error. This study used patient safety incident reports in the UK to characterize and explore safety issues arising from ACP and to identify areas for improvement. Over a ten-year period, there were 70 reports of an ACP-related patient safety incident (due to incomplete documentation, inaccessible documentation or miscommunication, or ACP directives not being followed) which led to inappropriate treatment, transfer or admission. The importance of targeting the human factors of the ACP process to improve safety is discussed. A PSNet Human Factors Primer on human factors expands on these concepts.  

Published estimates on the number preventable medical errors have generated some controversy. This perspective discusses the inaccuracy of these estimates, the role of the media in disseminating them, and how physicians can bring context to conversations on the prevalence of medical error.

The combination of burnout and time pressures appeared to be associated with patient safety risks, according to this survey of Taiwanese nurses.