Patient safety education: what was, what is, and what will be?

Patient safety is an important topic that has been receiving more attention in the current health care climate. Patient safety as a curriculum topic in medical schools has only become apparent in the late 1990 s, and much more needs to be done. This article summarizes patient safety curricular content as it occurred (or did not occur) in medical education circles in the past (pre-1990 s), and present. It also makes some recommendations for the future of medical education curricula in the area of patient safety, using a framework for the development of expertise using the Dreyfus educational model.