Women Tells Nursing Class Horror Story of Incorrectly Administered Drugs
Nursing students at Penn State University were given the lecture of a lifetime by Sorrel King, a national patient safety advocate and victim of a horrific medical mistake. Sorrel’s story begins in 2001, when she lost her 18-month-old daughter at Johns Hopkins Hospital to a preventable medication error. Like many parents who have lost their… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Mean to Your Doctor? They May Mess Up Your Diagnosis
We all have our bad days, and sometimes it might be tempting to take out our frustrations on other people, such as Starbucks baristas or waiters. However, pulling this stunt with your doctor could lead to critical consequences. Two studies conducted by researchers at the Institute of Medical Education Research Rotterdam suggest being mean to… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Misdiagnosis
New Report Sheds Light on Patient Safety Issues in Hospitals
A new report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed reasons why hospitals are ineffective at addressing patient safety issues. Ironically, the report was released during National Patient Safety Awareness Week, an annual event where the National Patient Safety Foundation passes out educational materials to hospitals around the country. Aside from the hilariously… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
How Surgical Safety Checklists Prevent Medical Errors
Medical errors have horrific consequences for patients and their families, so it is important for hospitals to institute policies that help health care professionals avoid mistakes. Surgery safety checklists provide ways for doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists and others to double-check their work so mistakes such as operating on the wrong patient or body part can be… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Malpractice
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
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
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
Shocking Claim: Hospitals May Be Incorrectly Determining Brain Death
A new study published in the medical journal JAMA Neurology has alarming implications for patient safety. According to the study, some hospitals might be falsely declaring patients brain-dead. Brain death is a medical term used to describe an irreversible neurological state where brain function no longer exists. The new study suggests determining brain death might… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Negligence
Do Depressed Doctors Cause Medical Errors?
Mental illnesses such as depression can make it difficult to perform the vigorous duties associated with practicing medicine. A sharp mind is important for health care workers who are tasked with upholding patient safety. Unfortunately, physicians and other health care workers are more depressed than the general population. A recent article in the Huffington Post… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medical Negligence
Hospital Nightmares: Patients Disfigured by Plastic Surgery Operations
Not all victims of surgical mistakes die, and some patients can live with the horrifying consequences for the rest of their lives. For example, a 55-year-old formerly morbidly obese woman underwent two procedures to remove excess skin so she could appear slimmer. Unfortunately, her doctor made several mistakes during the surgery. The woman is still… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Surgical Errors
