British Dental Journal: developing patient safety in dentistry (October 2014)

Summary

Several organisations, researchers and clinicians have discussed the need for a patient safety culture in dentistry. Strategies are available to help improve patient safety in healthcare and deserve further consideration in dentistry.

Published by the British Dentistry Journal, this article:

• discusses the history of patient safety initiatives in healthcare and dentistry
• describes strategies that can be applied to identify patient safety issues in dentistry
• emphasises the importance of both process and cultural factors in developing a safer healthcare environment.