Hospital Horror Stories: What Are the Consequences of Wrong-Patient Surgeries?
Never events are medical mistakes that can severely reduce the quality of life for patients, or in the worst case scenarios, result in death. While some never events are worse than others, it is always patients who pay the price for these horrific mistakes. Wrong-patient surgeries are one of the worst possible never events, and… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
New Federal Warning System Could Identify Dangerous Medical Devices
Medical devices can be extremely useful for diagnosing patients with health conditions, but these tools can also cause significant problems for patients. For example, duodenoscopes are used in tens of thousands of medical procedures, but are difficult to clean and could expose patients to superbug infections. Almost 200 patients in the U.S. developed infections from… Read more »
Tags: PatientCare
Posted in Medical Malpractice
3 Common Nursing Errors that Harm Patients
Nurses are hospital staff members most likely to spend an extended amount of time with patients. Unfortunately, nurses are notoriously overworked, often caring for multiple patients at once. There is only so much a person can do, so nursing errors are bound to happen. Sometimes these mistakes can have deadly consequences for patients. Medication Errors:… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
What Patients Should Know About CT Scans and Other Imaging Tests
Last week, we wrote about how more hospitals and doctors are overprescribing potentially dangerous imaging tests for minor health problems. Medical tests such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs are being used to diagnose back pain, headaches, stomach aches and other common conditions. Although these conditions might be serious, the overuse of imaging tests can… Read more »
Tags: CTScan
Posted in Medical Malpractice
3 Ways Communication Can Improve Patient Safety in Hospitals
Communication is essential for promoting patient safety. When hospital staff members communicate with patients, each other and the public, it becomes more difficult to cause medical errors. These three examples can show how communication prevents common medical mistakes. Handoff errors: While receiving treatment at hospitals, patients are likely to fall under the care of multiple… Read more »
Tags: PatientCare
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Why Unnecessary Medical Tests Are Bad for Patient Safety
When we check into hospitals, health care workers almost immediately begin carrying out tests. Hospital staff will take our blood pressure, check our reflexes or look for swollen lymph nodes. Basic tests to collect vitals are often harmless, but other methods for diagnosing health conditions can put patients in harm’s way. An overabundance of tests… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
3 Reasons Why Hospital Transparency is Good for Patient Safety
Earlier this week, we discussed the tragic deaths that occurred at St. Mary’s Medical Center. CNN’s investigation shows that from 2011 to 2013, the hospital maintained a death rate of 12.5 percent for its pediatric heart surgery program. If parents had known about the high death rate, would they have chosen another hospital? Transparency can… Read more »
Tags: HealthcareNews
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Are Florida’s New Hospital Standards Hurting Children?
Florida is dropping hospital standards that have helped keep pediatric heart patients safe since the 1970s. According to a CNN article, the change comes after Tenet Healthcare contributed $200,000 to state lawmakers. Tenet Healthcare is the organization behind St. Mary’s Medical Center, a Florida hospital where several children died during heart surgery. A CNN investigation… Read more »
Tags: Pediatric
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Hospital Nightmares: What Patients Should Know About Wrong-Site Surgeries
The health care community refers to many surgical errors as ‘never events’, mistakes that should never occur. Wrong-site surgeries are one of the most common never events, and the type of error that can have life-changing consequences for patients. In 2011, CNN wrote an article on a toddler undergoing surgery to fix a lazy eye…. Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
The Pros and Cons of Telemedicine
Modern telecommunications technology has created several breakthroughs in health care, such as telemedicine. Telemedicine is the practice of using the internet, webcams and screens to connect patients to doctors. For people living in rural areas far away from hospitals or patients with busy work schedules, telemedicine can be extremely useful. However, hospitals and patients should… Read more »
Tags: HCSM
Posted in Medical Negligence
