Making It Easy to Do It Right

Abstract

At the turn of the last century, William Osler, Harvey Cushing, and other clinical leaders restructured hospital organization, established scientific research as the foundation for clinical practice, formalized clinical education, and set and enforced high ethical and personal standards of performance among physicians and nurses. Their era marked a turning point in health care delivery. Prior to 1900, seeking a physician's help for a serious illness did little to change the course of the disease,¹ but since that time life expectancy in the United States has almost doubled. A child born in the United States in 1998 can expect to . . .