Lying could set more than your pants on fire – if it involves your doctor, it could result in serious medical complications. Being an informed patent is key to being a safe patient. Part of being an informed patient is to make sure that your doctor has access to all your medical records as well […]
Across American hospital rooms, thousands of alarms beep every minute, some for as long as ten minutes at a time until they are responded to, or shut off. The cacophony and fatigue arising from these alarms has proved to be a hazard that seriously impacts patient safety. The ECRI Institute estimates that alarm fatigue is […]
The number of hospital consolidations has increased, but this trend of hospitals merging with others hasn’t necessary translated into better standards of patient care or safety. According to a new study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine, hospital mergers which are often promoted as a way for hospitals to cut costs and […]
The state of a physician’s mental health could very strongly influence his risk of committing medical errors. According to the results of a new study conducted by a group of psychiatrists, symptoms of depression in doctors are often not identified or treated, and this places patients at risk of injury or harm as a result […]
The most common medical error is also one of the deadliest. According to a new report, diagnostic errors are the most common of all medical errors. The report published by ECRI states that diagnostic errors are the most common errors in outpatient care settings. The second most common errors are medication errors, which also have […]
When emergency room doctors have a system that allows them to cross-check their performances, it can lead to a reduction in medical errors, although not all types of errors. Those results came from a randomized trial that was conducted in France and involved a total of six emergency departments. Physicians in each of these departments […]
Most emergency rooms across the country have a severe overcrowding problem, and insurers have long pushed the theory that many emergency rooms visits are unnecessary or unimportant. However, a new study debunks that myth. According to the study, only a fraction of emergency room patients fails to have an absolutely urgent need to visit the ER. […]
