"This book arrives at a time of heightened concerns about patient safety in medical care and the overall responsibility assumed by health professionals. It begins by exploring experiences of error and harm in general, and it covers medical errors that can be attributed to system failures and errors in an individual's reasoning, subsequent decision-making, and execution of tasks in medical care. It focuses on how to detect, correct, and avoid errors and their sometimes disastrous consequences. The book concludes with an analysis of the contributions and expectations of physicians in tort litigation and legal decision-making"--Provided by publisher.