MEDICAL ERRORS
When the Institute of Medicine estimated that 98,000 Americans die every year from medical errors, shock waves went through our healthcare system. Many in the field claimed that the estimate was faulty and full of hyperbole. Eight or nine years later we know that the number was indeed flawed...way off.
We now know that there are 15,000,000 episodes of patient harm annually in our hospitals. That is correct - 15 million times every year someone is hurt by a medical procedure, or the wrong medicine, or the wrong diagnosis.
99,000 people die from healthcare associated infections alone every 12 months.
Now add in the patients who die from medication errors and drug interactions, misdiagnoses, failure to rescue, falls in the hospital, and pressure ulcers... The data is staggering.
Many more than 98,000 die each year...many more. Perhaps the sixth leading cause of death in America.
What can we do? How can you make a difference? How does one protect one's family?
Stand up for yourself. Speak up for your safety and for the sake of your loved ones.
Many patients are afraid to advocate for themselves out of a belief that their care will be compromised. Nothing can be further than the truth. In reality it is the educated healthcare consumer who gets the best care by speaking up and asking the right questions. If your providers are upset by being asked questions, fire them. Nothing is more important than your health, you should not settle for a provider who does not have you at the center of the equation.
Patient centered care is the crux of quality. It must permeate all aspects of a hospital or nursing home. From the board room to the accounting office to the ER to the OR, our patients must be front and center in all of our plans. If we have not taken the patients' point of view into account when developing programs and care plans, we are failing in our mission.
Stand up for your safety folks. Demand excellence. Ask about the experience of your providers. Stop doctors and nurses and ask them to clean their hands prior to examining you. Ask about drug safety and interactions. Discuss medications with your doctor and pharmacist. Carry a list of the medications you take and share it with your providers and pharmacists.
Do your homework - check the websites of AHRQ and IHI and learn what we can all do to make healthcare safer.
In the coming weeks we will try to explain the complexities of this issue and give you the tools to protect yourself. Stay tuned!
We now know that there are 15,000,000 episodes of patient harm annually in our hospitals. That is correct - 15 million times every year someone is hurt by a medical procedure, or the wrong medicine, or the wrong diagnosis.
99,000 people die from healthcare associated infections alone every 12 months.
Now add in the patients who die from medication errors and drug interactions, misdiagnoses, failure to rescue, falls in the hospital, and pressure ulcers... The data is staggering.
Many more than 98,000 die each year...many more. Perhaps the sixth leading cause of death in America.
What can we do? How can you make a difference? How does one protect one's family?
Stand up for yourself. Speak up for your safety and for the sake of your loved ones.
Many patients are afraid to advocate for themselves out of a belief that their care will be compromised. Nothing can be further than the truth. In reality it is the educated healthcare consumer who gets the best care by speaking up and asking the right questions. If your providers are upset by being asked questions, fire them. Nothing is more important than your health, you should not settle for a provider who does not have you at the center of the equation.
Patient centered care is the crux of quality. It must permeate all aspects of a hospital or nursing home. From the board room to the accounting office to the ER to the OR, our patients must be front and center in all of our plans. If we have not taken the patients' point of view into account when developing programs and care plans, we are failing in our mission.
Stand up for your safety folks. Demand excellence. Ask about the experience of your providers. Stop doctors and nurses and ask them to clean their hands prior to examining you. Ask about drug safety and interactions. Discuss medications with your doctor and pharmacist. Carry a list of the medications you take and share it with your providers and pharmacists.
Do your homework - check the websites of AHRQ and IHI and learn what we can all do to make healthcare safer.
In the coming weeks we will try to explain the complexities of this issue and give you the tools to protect yourself. Stay tuned!
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