Dr Safety

Many patients are harmed every day because they are incorrectly taking their prescribed oral anticoagulation therapy, warfarin. This very important "blood thinner" has an unpredictable reaction in many patients and interacts with many medications creating unsafe situations for patients in which serious bleeding and possibly death may occur. If you are taking warfarin you should take this opportunity to discuss its safe use with your clinician and pharmacist. Please be sure to take your medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor or healthcare provider. From ISMP: “A recent report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) notes that some health professionals and patients may not realize that Jantoven is a brand name for the drug warfarin. That could result in inadvertently prescribing and dispensing two warfarin-containing medications for the same patient. ISMP cites the case of a patient who had been taking warfarin at home and continued the drug while in the ...

15 million Americans are harmed each year in our hospitals. Half of these events are related to medication safety. Many people are harmed because they accidentally take their blood thinner medicine incorrectly. Warfarin is an oral anticoagulant medicine, or blood thinner, that is used to treat patients with blood clots or to prevent blood clots from forming in patients with heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. Warfarin may also be used after orthopedic surgery to prevent blood clots or in patients with artificial heart valves. Many patients on warfarin may also be taking aspirin or other anti-platelet medications. In a retrospective cohort study published recently in Chest, Johnson, et . al found that 38% of warfarin users were also taking an antiplatelet medicine resulting in a 2.1x greater risk of major hemorrhage [adjusted odds ratio 95% CI 1.01-4.4]. There was no benefit noted in the combination users. [ Johnson, SG, et.al. Outcomes Associated with Combined Antipl...

Flu season is here! It is not too late! Patients give many reasons for not getting their annual flu shot, including — “It causes the flu"; "I don’t need it"; "It has side effects"; "It’s not effective"; "I didn’t think about it"; "I don’t like needles!” The fact is that every year in the United States about 36,000 people die from influenza. Greater than 90 percent of these deaths occur in individuals 65 years of age and older. You can help yourself overcome these odds and their personal barriers through education. Protect yourself, your family and friends. Get Your Flu Shot – Not the Flu.

Today's entry is adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Many people are prescribed antibiotics without good reason. This may lead to resistance of bacteria, overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut, and possibly even death. Taking medications unnecessarily exposes one to the harmful side effects and drug-drug interactions of these medications without the benefit. The CDC is trying to prevent these problems by educating patients and physicians regarding the proper use of antibiotics. Next time your doctor prescribes an antibiotic ask questions like: What disease/infection are treating me for? Is there a clinical guideline you are following? Is my infection actually bacterial? What can I do to prevent antibiotic associated diarrhea? How do I take this medicine safely? Will it interact with my current medications? What are the side effects I can expect? From CDC: "Upper respiratory infections account for three quarters of all antibiotics prescribed by off...

A moment of silence for those victims of the 9-11 attacks on the USA in 2001. May we never forget the price we pay for our freedom. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families. Take a moment today to remember those who have died in the service of our country in the War on Terror.

There is much written about America's "best" hospitals and doctors. Entire national magazine issues are dedicated to such proclamations. Whole industries have popped up to measure "quality." So much in fact that one would think everyone knows what "best" means. What is quality? In fact, when pressed, many physicians and nurses haven't a clue as to what metrics go into assessing the quality of care delivered by their hospital. Many will seize upon the catch phrase, "evidence based medicine" and claim that it is the best docs and centers that practice this. Of course one next must define what is meant by evidence based care and we are often met with blank stares. Please do not mention that over 40% of patients do not receive the recommended care due them. And of course there are those pesky 15 million episodes of patient harm that must be happening at some of these best hospitals with some of these best doctors...98,000 people [at least] di...

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. Sp...