Patient safety, error reduction, and ethical practice.

Currently, patient safety and adverse outcomes are receiving an increasing emphasis within both the healthcare community and society. Redesigning systems and instituting safe practices within the healthcare environment are being seen as essential to decrease the likelihood that patients are placed at risk of harm. Adopting a change in practice may not be the answer because there may be unintended consequences from the new procedure. The purposes of this article are to briefly describe the phenomena of patient safety and error reduction, identify corresponding ethical concerns, and discuss selected implications related to patient safety that promote ethical practice.