Anyone who has seen ER or Grey's Anatomy knows that doctors often work long hours. While the practice may be common, there is concern among some safety advocates that fatigue contributes to unnecessary and preventable medical errors. In fact, a number of studies conducted over the last several decades suggest that sleep deprivation can...

When surgery is necessary to save a life, healthcare providers are expected by families of the patient and the patient to take all reasonable to steps to ensure that an error does not occur. Despite efforts by hospitals to minimize surgical errors such as pre-post count of sponges to keep track of them,...