PHYSICIAN ERROR ANONYMOUS REPOSITORY LEARNING SYSTEM (P.E.A.R.L.S)

2. Physician Error Anonymous Repository Learning System (P.E.A.R.L.S)
Purpose: To establish a benevolent system for medical
students and physicians to be mentored and learn about
their mistakes and the mistakes of their predecessors in
order to improve and provide solutions to future
healthcare challenges.

3. All of us have experienced these moments..

4. Why create P.E.A.R.L.S?
 To educate faculty & students about the differences of malignant
criticism and benevolent constructive criticism.
 To reward constructive criticism and create a safe environment to
discuss personal and career concerns
 Allow medical students and young physicians to learn from the mistakes
of others and the consequences (positive) OR (negative)
 To facilitate lifelong self-reflection habits to better remember our
mistakes
 To create a new paradigm & redefine current belief systems and
attitudes about “mistakes, failure, error”.
 To engage in repeated study of cognitive biases in practice, research,
policy.

5. HOW SHOULD WE CLASSIFY
MISTAKES? 
 HIGH OR LOW
 TECHNICAL OR
COMMON OR
IMPACT?
 SINGLE-CAUSE
OR MULTICAUSE?
UNCOMMON?
NON-TECHNICAL
(NATURE OF
ERROR)?
 PREVENTABLE OR  FATIGUENONRELATED OR
PREVENTABLE?
NON-FATIGUE
RELATED?

6. BASIC DATA INPUT
REPORT
I AM A [STUDENT, RESIDENT, ATTENDING]........
I MADE A MISTAKE [NEW, OLD]
THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED...........
I THINK [X, Y, Z, …] WAS/WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
I DON'T THINK [A, B, C, …] WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
THE RESULT, DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS OF MY MISTAKE WERE
[…..]
I COULD HAVE REALISTICALLY DONE DIFFERENTLY [....]
MY MISTAKE HAS AFFECTED ME PERSONALLY [1 TO 10]
I WOULD ADVISE & RECOMMEND […..]
! PHYSICIANS NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH PATIENTS AND NOT DOING MORE PAPERWORK,
THEREFORE THE REPORT MUST BE DESIGNED SHORT AND SIMPLE

7. BASIC DATA INPUT
REPORT
I AM A [STUDENT, RESIDENT, ATTENDING]........
I MADE A MISTAKE [NEW, OLD]
THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED...........
I THINK [X, Y, Z, …] WAS/WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
I DON'T THINK [A, B, C, …] WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
THE RESULT, DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS OF MY MISTAKE WERE
[…..]
I COULD HAVE REALISTICALLY DONE DIFFERENTLY [....]
MY MISTAKE HAS AFFECTED ME PERSONALLY [1 TO 10]
I WOULD ADVISE & RECOMMEND […..]
! PHYSICIANS NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH PATIENTS AND NOT DOING MORE PAPERWORK,
THEREFORE THE REPORT MUST BE DESIGNED SHORT AND SIMPLE