How Nursing Mistakes are Jeopardizing Patient Safety
Nurses are compassionate, caring and skilled at carrying out the duties of their occupation, but are also capable of making medical mistakes that can kill or injure patients. Many nurses work in busy and understaffed hospitals with ideal conditions for medical mistakes. Nurses have the responsibility of dispensing medication to patients, and when rushed, can… Read more »
Tags: Nursing
Posted in Medical Malpractice
How Florida Hospitals are Putting Mothers at Risk with Unnecessary C-Sections
A study on Florida hospitals has revealed an alarming number of cesarean sections (C-sections) being performed during deliveries. The study, compiled by the Leapfrog Group, a healthcare safety research organization, claims Florida has the highest rate of C-sections in the nation. During a C-section, the baby is delivered through an incision in the abdominal wall… Read more »
Tags: MaternitySafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Study Finds Children are At Risk from Toppling TV Sets
Over the last decade, television sets (TV) have become lighter, thinner and more likely to fall over if disturbed. This has caused TVs to become a severe safety hazard for small children. For example, a child may attempt to climb onto furniture to grab a remote control or toy, disturbing the balance of the TV…. Read more »
Tags: ChildSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Researchers Warn Thousands of Medical Devices Can Be Hacked
Cybersecurity experts have warned that hackers could tamper with more than 68,000 medical devices used around the world. According to the researchers, who presented their evidence at a hacker conference, computer interfaces used in medical devices were vulnerable to attacks using malware. Devices vulnerable to hackers include computerized tomography scanners, MRI machines and other equipment… Read more »
Tags: Cybersecurity
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Centers for Disease Control Issues CRE Superbug Warning
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a warning about superbugs in hospitals. Superbugs are bacteria that have evolved to become resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance makes superbugs notoriously difficult to treat. The warning came after the CDC found CRE in seven major metropolitan area hospitals. CDC researchers spent the last year observing hospitals… Read more »
Tags: Superbug
Posted in Medical Malpractice
What Hospital Patients Should Know About Fatal Air Embolisms
Hospitals around the country refer to some medical mistakes as “never events”, errors that should not happen. Performing surgery on the wrong patient or body part, medication errors, using contaminated surgical equipment, air embolisms and misdiagnosing patients are good examples of never events. Air embolisms are an example of a truly horrifying never event because… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Report Offers Solutions for Diagnostic Errors in Medicine
Misdiagnosis has become an aspect of the American health care system most likely to injure or kill patients. In a report released by the Institute of Medicine, 21 physicians and health care professionals offered solutions for preventing erroneous diagnoses. The report claims 5 percent of Americans receiving outpatient care will fall victim to incorrect diagnoses,… Read more »
Tags: Healthcare
Posted in Medical Malpractice
CT Scans and Radiation – How Safe Are Imaging Machines?
Medical errors involving computerized topography scans (CT scan) can have horrifying consequences for patients, often putting them at increased risk for health conditions later in life. CT scans can take highly accurate images to diagnose conditions, making it extremely beneficial and life saving for some patients. On the downside, CT scans require exposure to radiation…. Read more »
Tags: Cancer
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Nightmare Scenario: Anesthesia Awareness
It happens to about 1 in 1,000 patients – waking up during surgical procedures terrified, confused and in pain. Anesthesia awareness is such a frightening concept, that it was the plot to the 2007 horror film, Awake. Imagine undergoing surgery for a cardiac procedure, only to wake up and experience doctors operating on your heart…. Read more »
Tags: Medication
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Patients Injured By Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Push for Extra FDA Warning Labels
Antibiotics might be one of the greatest achievements in modern medicine, allowing people to survive infections that would have once been fatal. However, not all antibiotics are safe, and some can have lasting consequences on unsuspecting patients. A class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones can have dangerous side effects, causing retinal detachment and blindness, psychosis… Read more »
Tags: FDA
Posted in Medical Malpractice
