Patient safety: time for a transformational change in medical education

To the Editor: The editorial by Runciman in the Journal was cogent and timely.1 The Garling report on acute care services in New South Wales public hospitals highlights areas where critical changes need to be made in order to improve patient safety.2 It is widely recognised that junior doctors play a vital role at the coalface in many key areas, including assessment and escalation of care for deteriorating patients and the handover of patient care, both in hospital between shifts and also from hospital to the community. In NSW, these processes are currently receiving much needed attention in order to ensure patient safety within hospital settings.