Hospital Nightmares: How Patient Safety is Affected by Tube Mix-Ups
Doctors and other health care practitioners depend on medical devices to save the lives of patients, but sometimes the opposite happens. Medical devices that look similar can create hidden safety hazards for patients, such as tubing equipment. IVs, catheters and feeding tubes can look similar to each other, and are sometimes confused when used on… Read more »
Tags: MedicalMalpractice
Posted in Medical Malpractice
How Hospital Labeling Errors Can Threaten Patient Safety
When hospital lab tests and medications are improperly labeled, patient safety can become severely affected. Labeling errors can lead to diagnostic mistakes and adverse drug reactions. For some patients, the consequences of labeling errors cause permanent injuries or death. Medication errors: We recently wrote a blog on how medication errors are present in 50 percent… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Florida Hospitals Fined for Medical Errors and Infections
After the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare started a policy of reviewing hospital safety and docking institutions with safety violations. The Hospital Acquired Conditions Reduction Program (HACRP) aims to reduce the high number of hospital-acquired infections and medical errors. This year, Medicare reduced payments to 758 hospitals by 1 percent for safety issues… Read more »
Tags: HealthcareNews
Posted in Medical Malpractice
The Importance of Giving an Accurate Medical History
Our medical histories tell doctors a great deal about us, our families, and our medical future. Medical histories let doctors know the types of medications patients can take, which conditions they have or might develop, and how to treat existing health problems. In many ways, accurate histories help prevent medical mistakes. When doctors have incorrect… Read more »
Tags: HealthcareNews
Posted in Medical Malpractice
4 Common Dangers Inside Emergency Rooms
We are dependent on emergency rooms (ERs) to provide care during disastrous situations such as car accidents, falls or acute illnesses. However, sometimes ERs can have hidden dangers that cause patient injuries and deaths. By knowing what some of these risks are, patients can better protect themselves and their families. Emergency rooms can be overcrowded,… Read more »
Tags: EmergencyRoom
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Hospital Errors and PTSD: How Medical Malpractice Traumatizes Survivors
Hospital errors can cause severe psychological problems for survivors, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even many years after leaving the hospital, affected patients may never return to normal. Take for example the psychological effects of waking up in the middle of a surgical procedure. During anesthesia awareness, patients are unable to move, scream or… Read more »
Tags: PTSD
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Defective Medical Devices that have Harmed Patients
Medical devices can be used to save the lives of patients, providing ways to prevent blood clots, bleeding and other fatal health conditions. However, some of these devices come with defects and other flaws that can cause pain and suffering for patients. In worst-case scenarios, patients can lose their lives. The IVC blood clot filter… Read more »
Tags: FDA
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Hospital Nightmares: Can Surgical Fires Happen to You?
Some medical mistakes made during surgery can cause significant and permanent injuries to patients, such as surgical fires. Surgical fires can happen when oxygen masks unexpectedly ignite during surgery. Many patients survive, but their lives will never be the same. Take for example the story of a 20-year-old woman who suffered second and third degree… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Hospital Nightmares: The Worst Types of Surgery Errors
A Boston man is accusing a local hospital of causing his wife’s cancer to spread throughout her abdomen. In an interview with the local press, the husband argued doctors accidently operated on what they thought was a benign tumor. It turns out the tumor was not benign, and after the operation, the cancer spread throughout… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
New Report Reveals Horrifying Dangers to Patients During Surgery
A report released in the October edition of Anesthesiology claims medication errors are extremely common during surgical procedures. According to data, which was compiled by Harvard researchers, medication errors occur in half of all procedures. One-third of these mistakes caused harm to patients and 80 percent were preventable. Researchers analyzed more than 275 surgeries at… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
