For first-year medical students trying to keep up with the demands of a rigorous foundational science curriculum, it can be easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal — helping people. On Oct. 20, Wayne State University School of Medicine's student chapter of the Institute for Health Care Improvement will help remind more than 300 first-year medical students why they are pursuing medicine at its second annual Freshman Patient Safety Education Day.
"An estimated 400,000 patients die each year because of medical errors that could have been avoided," said second-year medical student and IHCI project leader Kelsea Whittle. "The goal of this seminar is to humanize that figure and remind students early and often that medical errors have lasting effects on so many people's lives."
Whittle became a champion for patient safety after attending last year's Freshman Patient Safety Education Day, where she heard firsthand from a man whose life was destroyed by medical errors.
"As a first-year student, there isn't a lot of contact with patients," Whittle said. "So I think it's important in that first year of medical school to take time and understand the emotional component of medicine."
At this year's seminar and workshop, freshmen will listen to a speech by nationally renowned patient safety advocate John T. James. James was personally affected by medical error in 2002 when he lost his son to cardiac arrest, a tragedy that could have been easily avoided.
Diane Levine, M.D., is the School of Medicine's vice chair for education. She works closely with Whittle and other students in the IHCI to develop a patient safety curriculum and host seminars throughout the year.
"There are 7,500 sponges left in patients each year," Dr. Levine said. "Those are the types of errors that can be easily avoided. What we are trying to create with seminars like Freshman Patient Safety Education Day is a collaborative culture where everybody — doctors, nurses, medical techs — feels a responsibility for the safety of the patient."
She stressed the importance of introducing patient safety education early in medical school.
"Medical error is a huge problem, but it is something we can change," Dr. Levine said. "It kills more people annually than breast cancer. Reaching first-year students early and teaching them processes to eliminate medical errors will help create a safer health care environment for future patients."
A key component of the seminar will involve peer-to-peer learning. Second-year medical students will lead breakout sessions with first-year students. These small workshops will include hands-on learning exercises that stress the importance of teamwork in a medical environment and reinforce the benefits of collaboration with every team's health care worker.
"This is the second year Wayne State medical students have put on this event," Whittle said. "I'm honored to continue the tradition my predecessors started and reinforce the importance of patient safety and quality improvement."