A February 29, 2016 study in JAMA Pediatrics found that parents discovered a surprising number of physician errors in the care of their children.  Although it was a small study involving 383 children who were hospitalized during 2013 and 2014, researchers concluded that approximately one in 10 parents caught a mistake their child’s physicians did not. The study authors concluded that families may play a useful resource for helping prevent mistakes and improving safety.  Hopefully, as medical record interoperability and transparency increases, parents can play a more helpful part in the management of their children.   Hopefully in the near future, family members can be more involved in the care of their loved ones.

This cohort study assesses the frequency with which parents experience patient safety incidents and the proportion of reported incidents that meet standard definitions of medical errors and preventable adverse events.

Source: JAMA Network | JAMA Pediatrics | Parent-Reported Errors and Adverse Events in Hospitalized Children