Earlier this year the World Health Organization announced a new effort to cut medication errors in half in five years. It seems like an ambitious goal. But in reality it may not be, as practically all serious drug errors are preventable.
The focus of WHO’s efforts to eradicate this serious medical mistake are global, but drug errors are all too frequent and catastrophic in this country. It’s been estimated that one patient dies from a medication error each day in the United States. This helps explain why it’s also been estimated that medical errors, of which a drug mistake is one ...
In terms of serious, preventable medical errors at hospitals, there is recent good news as well as bad news.
According to a new national survey, the number of two specific types of hospital-acquired patient harm – pressure ulcers and fall-related injuries – has decreased over the last four years. The bad news from the survey is that only about a third of the nation’s hospitals have taken steps to prevent both of these medical errors.
The Leapfrog Group is a not-for-group that focuses on improving the quality of U.S. healthcare. It just recently issued a new report on the two ...
The federal government’s most recent report on the nation’s fatal driving accidents shows that the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes jumped 7 percent between 2014 and 2015. And in that same period, the number of people who died in Missouri driving accidents about doubled that nationwide increase.
In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its 2015 State Traffic Data report, comparing statistics on motor vehicle accident deaths in 2014 and 2015. It revealed that 35,092 people died in traffic crashes nationwide in 2015 – a 7 percent ...
Those of us who have cars that need servicing don’t always take them to a manufacturer’s dealership. Concern that dealers are more expensive than independent repair shops is a common reason car owners do this.
But what about medical devices that need servicing? Should hospitals and other healthcare facilities turn to non-manufacturers for repairs in order to protect their bottom lines?
The Food and Drug Administration regulates medical devices in the United States. The FDA not only approves medical devices but also oversees their repair. However, the agency’s protections ...
Last year, 15 people died in Missouri boating accidents. And so far this year in the Show Me State – before the recreational boating season has begun in earnest – two people have lost their lives in boating accidents.
Recreational boating is a popular activity in Missouri. This is not surprising given the abundance of recreational waterways in the state, including Mark Twain Lake, Bull Shoals Lake and the Lake of the Ozarks. But busy waterways can be dangerous waterways when boat operators act irresponsibly.
Missouri Highway Patrol to Observe National Safe Boating Week
The ...
The fitness of truck drivers as well as the quality of medical professionals who gauge their fitness has recently been called into question.
Previous research identified that long-haul truck drivers are almost twice as likely to be obese compared to the rest of the adult population. They also are more likely to smoke and suffer from other risk factors that lead to serious and chronic disease.
This is important for several reasons.
First, obese individuals are prone to sleep apnea, a disorder that disrupts sleep and therefore leaves a person very tired the next day. So truckers who are ...
Be it a dump truck or a tractor-trailer, unsecured cargo of a commercial truck can cause catastrophic accidents, particularly on fast moving highways. Last year, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported that between 2011 and 2014, 500 people were killed in accidents caused by road debris. Another 39,000 people were injured in the more than 200,000 cargo-related crashes.
Having to Swerve to Avoid Fallen Objects Leads to Fatal Accidents
According to AAA, more than 37 percent of all deaths in the road debris accidents occurred when an oncoming driver swerved to avoid hitting a ...
If you had to give your hospital a patient safety grade after a stay by you or a family member, what grade would that be? According to a new rating effort, most Missouri hospitals would only grade a “C” for keeping their patients safe from preventable medical errors.
A nonprofit organization that’s focused on patient safety called The Leapfrog Group annually grades hospitals across the country. The grades follow the typical school system, ranging from “A” to “F.”
Leapfrog recently published its Spring 2017 grades. Compared to all states, Missouri ranked 20th, with just ...
April is National Distracted Driving Month. If any public safety issue deserves this spotlight, it’s distracted driving, which is responsible for thousands of deaths each year in the United States. And it’s a national scourge that’s on the rise.
According to the most current federal government statistics, 3,477 people were killed in fatal crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015. That’s an 8 percent increase over the year prior. All totaled, driver distraction was involved in 10 percent of the nation’s fatal crashes in 2015.
Average Driver Distraction Lasts More ...
Those suffering a traumatic brain injury face immense physical, quality-of-life, and economic hardships. Researchers recently put a hard-dollar number to the extraordinary financial burdens that TBI sufferers and their families are up against.
A presentation at the World Congress of Brain Injury held in March in New Orleans revealed that individuals with a traumatic brain injury generally face long-term medical costs that are four times higher than those of the general population.
Typically, the highest medical costs occur in the first year after suffering a TBI. But the ...
RSS Feed