Bosk C. Error, Rank, and Responsibility. In: 'Forgive and Remember: Managing Medical Failure.' U Chicago Press 1979.

A surgeon's explanation of the different types of failure which deals with physician competence and the social control of performance. The failures are broken down into four categories: technical error, judgmental error, normative error, and quasi-normative error.

Burack J, Irby D, Carline J, Root R, Larson E. Teaching Compassion and Respect. J Gen Intern Med. 1999;14:49-55.

Study to describe how and why attending physicians respond to learned behaviors that indicate negative attitudes towards patients. How physicians identified potential problematic behavior and their responses to them. Showing reasons why there were a lack of responses for disrespect and hostility toward patients.

Christensen J, Levinson W, Dunn P. The Heart of Darkness: The Impact of Perceived Mistakes on Physicians. J Gen Intern Med. 1992;7:424-431.

Describes how physicians think and feel about perceived mistakes, how these mistakes influence their emotional responses and promote discussion on this topic. Mistakes can create emotional distress and there are factors that would influence the severity.

Fox R. Training in Caring Competence: The Perennial Problem in North American Medical Education. In: H. Lloyd Hendrie, ed. Educating Competent and Humane Physicians. Bloomington.: Indiana Univ. Press, 1990:199-216.

The importance for a physician to have a caring attitude towards their profession. The difficulties for a physician in understanding the importance of competency, and who is teaching these physicians and how are they being taught.

Helmreich R, Schaefer H. Team Performance in the Operating Room. In: Bogner MS, ed. 'Human Error in Medicine.' Hillsdale.: Lawrence Erlbaun Assoc., 1994:225-253.

Discusses the many factors involved with performance in the operating room. Factors are divided into the following: input factors, group process factors, and outcome factors. Within each section they are broken down into important sub-components. Ending with methods to optimize team performance.

Lingard L, Reznick R, Espin S, Regehr G, DeVito I. Team Communications in the Operating Room: Talk Patterns, Sites of Tension, and Implications for Novices. Academic Medicine. 2002;77(3):232-236.

The importance of communication in practice, specifically in the OR. Identified were patterns, sites of tension, and impact on novices. Recurrent themes of tension existed and the tension had a negative effect on novices.

Mizrahi T. Managing Medical Mistakes: Ideology, Insularity, and Accountability Among Internists-In-Training. Soc Sci Med. 1984;19(2):135-146.

Description of the coping mechanisms that were used by the housestaff. Generally seen were denial, discounting, and distancing. Housestaff see themselves as their own critics and that they should be the only ones that judge their performances in practice.

Risser D, Rice M, Salisbury M, Simon R, Jay G, Berns S. The Potential for Improved Teamwork to Reduce Medical Errors in the Emergency Department. Ann Emer Med. 1999;34(3):373-382.

The importance of improving team communication and coordination in the emergency department. Teaching teamwork is the most successful way to reduce error. Overall there is a need to improve teamwork skills, care quality, and reduce litigation risks.

Sexton JB, Thomas EJ, Helmreich RL. Error, stress, and teamwork in medicine and aviation: cross sectional surveys. BMJ.2000;320:745-749.

Comparison of attitudes of error and stress between intensive care staff and an airplane cockpit crew. There were various responses regarding errors made in the hospital setting. Overall, medical staff reported that error was not handled well in their hospital and there is an importance for medical staff to discuss errors.

Weingart S. House Officer Education and Organizational Obstacles to Quality Improvement. J Quality Improvement. 1996;Sept:640-646.

Physicians-in-training (PIT) are not adequately trained and prepared to address problems in organizational and technical support. They contribute to poor quality and costly care by careless error, lost data, and interruptions. Opportunities should be created to allow PIT's to take part in organizational problem-solving.