Surgery is not a “one size fits all” medical practice. In fact, even the best brain surgeons are not ideally suited for other types of surgery. The same goes for plastic surgery. Only doctors who have undergone specialized training and passed examinations specifically about plastic surgery should be performing operations like breast enhancements. Unfortunately, the […]
Medication errors can have many causes. Sometimes, nurses cannot read a doctor’s handwriting and therefore administer the wrong dose of a drug. In other situations, pharmacies are to blame when they distribute medications to the wrong people. But sometimes, medication errors are simply caused by inexperience. Last Saturday, a patient at a hospital died as […]
Last August, we wrote about the horrific experience of one Pittsburgh couple. Christina donated her kidney to her life-partner, Michael, hoping that her action could help save his life. Instead, she unintentionally exposed him to hepatitis C because of multiple surgical errors made by hospital staff. Today, we would like provide an update to that […]
Over the past few months, study upon study has shown that hospital patients are at serious risk of developing infections or illnesses caused by medical staff negligence. Unfortunately, those studies have not produced tangible results. Patients and advocacy groups say that more needs to be done to reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections in Pennsylvania […]
Patients seek care at a variety of health care facilities, and it is imperative that medical staff at every single one leave no room for error. Pennsylvania has 265 licensed ambulatory surgery facilities, often referred to as outpatient centers. In all, nearly a million procedures a year are performed in these facilities. Unfortunately, as with […]
Hospital rooms can be filled with daunting machines that make strange noises. For many patients, the constant monitoring can at first seem frightening. After a few days, however, the buzz of these machines often becomes run-of-the-mill. For patients, becoming used to these monitors can ease their nerves. Unfortunately, when nurses begin to see them as […]
In November 2008, Mirella and Abel were in the hospital, and their daughter Ashley was about to arrive. As sometimes happens, the baby was coming quickly, and Mirella’s doctor was not able to make it to the delivery. Still, this should have been a wonderful moment for this family. Unfortunately, a tragic nursing error changed […]
It can be uncomfortable to think about hospitals and medical professionals as part of an “industry,” but that is exactly what they are. The healthcare industry, like all industries, is constantly looking for ways to do things in more profitable ways. As part of that search, many hospital emergency rooms have turned to temporary staff. […]
When Pittsburgh-area patients seek medical help at a hospital, they are likely dealing with a serious injury or illness. They rightly expect to receive competent medical treatment and to become healthier during their stay. Unfortunately, many hospital patients get more than they bargained for. Too often, patients acquire new infections or diseases while in the […]
