While one leading patient safety organization recently reported on medical errors made at same-day surgery facilities, another recently published its report on common and dangerous medical mistakes made during other outpatient care.
In October the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that rates hospitals for patient safety, entered new waters with a report on patient safety in outpatient surgery centers across the country. The organization had concerns over some of its findings.
About the same time the ECRI Institute released a more comprehensive look at patient safety in U.S ...
Trucking industry representatives may argue they place the safety of other drivers as a priority. However, their own actions tell a different story.
In September, 30-plus trucking organizations and lobbyists combined to attack public safety measures. The largest was the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a lobbying group that includes independent truckers as well as those who work for companies.
The OOIDA-led effort was outlined in a letter addressed to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and to the House of Representatives ...
The portion of medical malpractice lawsuits filed over problems with electronic health records is relatively small – but is rising as healthcare providers increasingly rely on the technology.
Electronic health records allow authorized healthcare providers instant and real-time access to a patient’s medical records. These digital patient charts were introduced in an effort to boost medical care efficiency and outcomes.
But one result not trumpeted by EHR makers and proponents that has become a reality: medical errors that harm patients.
The Doctors Company provides ...
Data from the federal government show that the number of people killed in Missouri car crashes declined just a bit. The bad news is that despite this minor retrench, more than 900 Missourians died in motor vehicle accidents in one year.
In August the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a report on fatal traffic wrecks for 2017. This is the most recent year for which the NHTSA has final data. That year, U.S. traffic deaths fell some 2% compared to 2016.
Over 900 People Killed a Year in Missouri Traffic Accidents
After a 9% rise in motor vehicle accident deaths in 2016 ...
On last month’s World Patient Safety Day, the World Health Organization reported that globally, 2.6 million people die every year from medical errors. In the United Sates, researchers estimate that medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death, behind only heart disease and cancer.
Common deadly medical errors include misdiagnosis, wrong site surgery, and mistakes with medications. But a new report sheds light on another leading cause of medical mistakes that harm patients: medical devices.
The ECRI Institute is a 50-year-old organization focusing on protecting ...
After finding 12,000 commercial trucks with bad brakes and other serious maintenance issues earlier this summer, the same safety group handed out tickets to almost 1,500 speeding truck drivers just a few weeks later.
In June the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conducted its annual roadside inspections of tractor-trailers throughout the United States and Canada. The CVSA is a consortium of law enforcement agencies and other organizations focused on making commercial truck travel safer. In a three-day period in early June, the CVSA inspected 67,072 semis as part of its effort to ...
Some patients going through post-operative pain may become victims of overprescribed opioids. What can and should be done to prevent potentially dangerous opioid prescriptions?
Opioids are strong painkillers typically derived from the opium plant. Common opioid painkillers include:
· Hydrocodone
· Oxycodone
· Fentanyl
· Morphine
They have been in the news much over the last few years as fatal opioid overdoses have become a national health scourge. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 130 Americans each day die from an opioid abuse.
Opioid Lawsuits
Lawsuits across ...
In just three days this past summer more than 12,000 commercial tractor-trailers were taken off the road because they needed serious repairs.
Each year the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conducts a three-day event of commercial truck roadside inspections in the United States and Canada. The CVSA is a not-for-profit consortium of safety and law enforcement officials. The group’s goal is to make commercial truck transportation safer.
This year’s event, called International Roadcheck and held June 4-6, is one annual step toward reaching that goal. It’s significant ...
Research published in July concluded that one out of every 20 hospital patients is a victim of a preventable medical error. And more than one out of those 10 suffered serious harm or died as a result.
The study (“Prevalence, Severity, and Nature of Preventable Patient Harm across Medical Care Settings: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”) was published in the British Medical Journal and was global in scope, encompassing a review of some 70 other medical error studies.
Medication Errors, Surgical Errors Most Common Medical Mistakes
Researchers found that medication errors ...
After a recent decline in one type of serious hospital-acquired patient infection, recent evidence shows that this largely preventable condition may be on the climb once more.
Hospital-acquired infections are not rare but often can be life-threatening. Such infections are the direct result of medical treatment patients receive. They include:
· Surgical site infections – occur in the part of the body that was operated on and can spread throughout the body to harm organs
· Urinary tract infections – typically transferred to a patient from an unclean urinary catheter
· Blood ...
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