Patient safety revisited

Patient safety has always been an important responsibility for Clinical Engineering Departments (CEDs), but the breadth of safety issues changed dramatically over the years, from electrical-focused safety and electromagnetic interference in the latter half of the 20th century to a concern with adverse events (AEs) and medical errors in the 21st century (Frize, 2017). Although this is a well-known fact, especially since the publication of the article: To Err is Human (Institute of Medicine (1985), patient safety in healthcare institutions has not improved despite the significant attention that has been focused on this topic in the past 20 years, advancements in healthcare technology, and the increasing cost of health care.