Confusing risk with perceived risk, again

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

Below is an article that I found on the PRNewswire. It has one very 
particularly disturbing sentence,  ``We are asking researchers from 
the other high risk industries such as nuclear power and aviation to 
look at medical accidents,'' said Richard Cook, M.D., one of the 
meeting's organizers. 

The only high risk is the "perception" of high risk. This hopefully 
can and will be addressed by experts within the Radsafe community. 
The full article is below.
----------------------------------

Top Safety Researchers Seek To Enhance Patient Safety

CHICAGO, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- New methods for improving patient
safety could ultimately emerge from the deliberations of leading
safety experts assembled for a two-day meeting beginning here tomorrow
by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). 

Funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the meeting is targeting
areas for additional research that hold the greatest promise for
producing reductions in health care failures. The meeting also serves
as the inaugural session of the NPSF National Health Care Safety
Council, the Foundation's scientific and technical advisory body
chaired by David Woods, Ph.D. of Ohio State University. 

``The objective of this meeting is to develop the basis for providing
sound technical advice to the Foundation, a basis grounded in research
on human error, system failures and organizational factors,'' said
Martin J. Hatlie, NPSF executive director. 

Topics such the possibility of preventing blood transfusion errors,
problems with medical information such as laboratory reports, and
wrong site surgery are slated to be discussed at the meeting. ``We are
asking researchers from the other high risk industries such as nuclear
power and aviation to look at medical accidents,'' said Richard Cook,
M.D., one of the meeting's organizers. ``We want them to help us see
the problems and the possible roads to progress on making health care
more safe.'' 

Potential new forms of failure that accompany the use of new
technology will be a major theme during the meeting. ``Lots of things
are changing in health care,'' said Woods, ``and we want these people
to not only help us think about current problems in new ways but also
to prepare for the future.'' 

The NPSF is an unprecedented initiative to improve health care safety.
Launched this year with support from the AMA and a variety of
companies and foundations, the NPSF will study how failures in the
health care system occur and how to implement safeguards to prevent
patient injury. NPSF board members represent every major segment of
the health care system, as well as employers, medical ethicists,
public health advocates and distinguished scientific research
institutions. 
------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
sandyfl@ix.netcom.com
sperle@icnpharm.com

Personal Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205

ICN Dosimetry Website:
http://www.dosimetry.com


"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
              - G. K. Chesterton -