Empiric antimicrobial therapy in critical illness: results of a surgical infection society survey.

Background: Antibiotics are prescribed commonly in the intensive care unit (ICU). Often, therapy is initiated empirically; practice patterns are not well characterized. We documented approaches to empiric antibiotic therapy among members of the Surgical Infection Society (SIS).

Defining medical error.

Medical errors represent a serious public health problem and pose a threat to patient safety. As health care institutions establish "error" as a clinical and research priority, the answer to perhaps the most fundamental question remains elusive: What is a medical error? To reduce medical error, accurate measurements of its incidence, based on clear and consistent definitions, are essential prerequisites for effective action. Despite a growing body of literature and research on error in medicine, few studies have defined or measured "medical error" directly.