In our last post, we discussed how a group of researchers set out to determine whether they could lower the rate of mistakes in the medication reconciliation efforts at one Chicago-based hospital by having pharmacists oversee the entire process. For those unfamiliar with the concept of the medication reconciliation effort, it is essentially the process […]
When most of us envision medication errors, we inevitably think of our local pharmacy chain providing us with the wrong medication, wrong dosage or even the wrong instructions. While this is certainly accurate, it also perhaps overlooks another venue where medication errors occur at an alarmingly high rate: hospitals. In hospital settings, these prescription errors […]
Anesthesia errors, foreign objects left behind, procedures on the wrong site, post-op infections — these are the types of events we typically associate with medical malpractice in the surgical realm. While this listing is by no means inaccurate, it fails to account for another very serious event that can cause debilitating and serious injuries to […]
In our last post, we discussed the unfortunate reality that attending OB/GYNs in charge of expectant mothers can make grievous medical mistakes and compound the problem by failing to take the necessary remedial actions. As a way of illustration, we discussed the case of a young military couple stationed at Fort Hood, who saw things […]
Entering the hospital for an impending birth is a truly exciting yet altogether nerve-wracking time for an expectant couple. While they may try their best to remember everything they learned in their birthing classes leading up to the big day, they may just as easily find themselves forgetting everything despite their best efforts, finally choosing […]
Last time, our blog discussed how the Pennsylvania-based ECRI Institute recently released its eagerly anticipated report documenting the top 10 health technology hazards for 2014. Developed by a host of scientific professionals, this report serves as warning to prospective patients and a wake-up call to hospitals across the nation. While the latter half of the […]
A few weeks back, the ECRI Institute, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit dedicated to “promoting the highest standards of safety, quality and cost-effectiveness in health care,” released its annual report identifying the 10 health technology hazards for 2014. This must-read item was developed by a host of scientific professionals — physicians, nurses, engineers, scientists, patient safety advocates, […]
When parents learn that their child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it’s not uncommon for them to experience a multitude of emotions ranging from anger and anxiety to guilt and sadness. For some, these feelings are traced to concerns that their child will be deprived of the opportunity to participate in some of life’s […]
It’s an everyday occurrence at sports stadiums, high schools and fraternity houses around the nation: the fist bump. For those unfamiliar with this gesture, it has essentially supplanted the high-five as the go-to casual greeting of choice among men. In fact, thanks to a recently released study by researchers at the University of West Virginia, […]
Last time, our blog discussed how a group of researchers recently conducted a study to determine the extent to which telemedicine could help reduce the rate of prescription errors among pediatric patients in rural hospitals. For those unfamiliar with the idea of telemedicine, it is essentially a system in which physicians and patients, who are […]
