Continuing medical educationPatient safety in dermatologic surgery: Part I. Safety related to surgical procedures

Surgical procedures involve unique elements related to patient safety. One must be aware of potential complications and safety issues within the practice of dermatologic surgery. Developing a high level of competence in skin surgery will address some safety issues, while implementing protocols and redundancies provides systems-based correction for other safety issues. We provide an in-depth review of patient safety in dermatologic surgery. In particular, we highlight the most common safety issues and methods for reducing error.