Learning from Mistakes is Easier Said Than Done: Group and Organizational Influences on the Detection and Correction of Human Error

1996/03/01 by Amy C. Edmondson · 945 citations
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · #Affect (linguistics) #Applied psychology #Communication #Computer science #Group (periodic table) #Human error #Knowledge management #Medicine #Organizational learning #Patient Safety and Medication Errors #Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes #Psychology #Quality and Safety in Healthcare #Risk analysis (engineering) #Social psychology

paper · doi:10.1177/0021886396321001

published in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 32(1), 5-28 (SAGE Publishing)

openalex publication_date 1996/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

This research explores how group- and organizational-level factors affect errors in administering drugs to hospitalized patients. Findings from patient care groups in two hospitals show systematic differences not just in the frequency of errors, but also in the likelihood that errors will be detected and learned from by group members. Implications for learning in and by work teams in general are discussed.

Citations

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