In just a 24 month period, it was determined that medical errors were to blame for a quarter of a million deaths according to a study performed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. In addition, nearly 1 million people are injured by medical errors that could have been avoided. This staggering number of fatalities leads to an increase of health care costs by billions of dollars each year. What is particularly heartbreaking about these statistics is that in nearly all cases, these fatalities or injuries could have been prevented had the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist been paying closer attention.
Even though this study stirs up a heated debate, there has still been very little done to actually combat the problem at hand. Physicians and nurses are still overwhelmed with too many patients which in turn leaves them functioning at a level that is subpar to the care that their patients deserve. With too many patients, is easy for them to get confused and make mistakes. You may feel like their actions are beyond your control but there's actually quite a bit that you can do to be sure you get treated properly.
Injuries caused by medication errors are very common. These kinds of errors range from prescribing a drug that knowingly interacts with something else that you're taking, prescribing a drug that you have a known allergy to, expired medication, prescribing an incorrect dosage or just plain not thoroughly explaining the directions and side effects. These kinds of errors mostly fall onto the shoulders of physicians, but a pharmacist can also be held accountable if they filled a prescription with an expired medication.
Because doctors are overloaded with so many patients, you can understand how they might get their patients confused with one another easily. They might not accurately recall the details of your patient history such as procedures that had been done, drugs prescribed, tests performed, allergies and so on. That's why it's up to you to come equipped with questions to ask of your doctor.
During surgery, errors are also common happenings. The severity of these errors range from performing surgery on the wrong body part to performing surgery on the wrong person all together. You may go in for a hip replacement and come out with a new knee. This can happen from a communication breakdown between the physician and the surgeon. Make sure that you confirm the surgery correctly with your doctor before you are given anesthesia.
Pharmacists are responsible for nearly 30 million medical errors annually. This is a staggering number. Occasionally, your doctor may have scribbled down your prescription with the wrong drug or dosage, or maybe their handwriting was just too illegible to interpret correctly. To avoid such confusion, we recommend writing down the prescription that your doctor recommends yourself, so you can cross-reference it with what the pharmacy provides. If you're a patient at a hospital, you may have the wrong medication administered to you. You can help avoid such errors by reminding your doctor or pharmacist of the other medications you take and allergies you have so that you don't have a bad reaction.
Lab technicians are also responsible for a number of errors. They may misread your test results which could then lead to a misdiagnosis and therefore an incorrect treatment by your physician. It's also possible that they may test an incorrect sample or mix up samples. Misreadings of CT and MRI scans are also real possibilities. If you or your doctor seems suspicious of the test results and they don't seem to add up with your symptoms, you should ask to have another test taken to be on the safe side.
Any of these errors made by doctors and other health personnel can end up leading to a serious misdiagnosis, treatment and eventually injury. It's up to you to take charge of the medical attention you receive by being informed about your condition and keeping track of your medical history. Then, make sure that your care providers are also informed.
Even though this study stirs up a heated debate, there has still been very little done to actually combat the problem at hand. Physicians and nurses are still overwhelmed with too many patients which in turn leaves them functioning at a level that is subpar to the care that their patients deserve. With too many patients, is easy for them to get confused and make mistakes. You may feel like their actions are beyond your control but there's actually quite a bit that you can do to be sure you get treated properly.
Injuries caused by medication errors are very common. These kinds of errors range from prescribing a drug that knowingly interacts with something else that you're taking, prescribing a drug that you have a known allergy to, expired medication, prescribing an incorrect dosage or just plain not thoroughly explaining the directions and side effects. These kinds of errors mostly fall onto the shoulders of physicians, but a pharmacist can also be held accountable if they filled a prescription with an expired medication.
Because doctors are overloaded with so many patients, you can understand how they might get their patients confused with one another easily. They might not accurately recall the details of your patient history such as procedures that had been done, drugs prescribed, tests performed, allergies and so on. That's why it's up to you to come equipped with questions to ask of your doctor.
During surgery, errors are also common happenings. The severity of these errors range from performing surgery on the wrong body part to performing surgery on the wrong person all together. You may go in for a hip replacement and come out with a new knee. This can happen from a communication breakdown between the physician and the surgeon. Make sure that you confirm the surgery correctly with your doctor before you are given anesthesia.
Pharmacists are responsible for nearly 30 million medical errors annually. This is a staggering number. Occasionally, your doctor may have scribbled down your prescription with the wrong drug or dosage, or maybe their handwriting was just too illegible to interpret correctly. To avoid such confusion, we recommend writing down the prescription that your doctor recommends yourself, so you can cross-reference it with what the pharmacy provides. If you're a patient at a hospital, you may have the wrong medication administered to you. You can help avoid such errors by reminding your doctor or pharmacist of the other medications you take and allergies you have so that you don't have a bad reaction.
Lab technicians are also responsible for a number of errors. They may misread your test results which could then lead to a misdiagnosis and therefore an incorrect treatment by your physician. It's also possible that they may test an incorrect sample or mix up samples. Misreadings of CT and MRI scans are also real possibilities. If you or your doctor seems suspicious of the test results and they don't seem to add up with your symptoms, you should ask to have another test taken to be on the safe side.
Any of these errors made by doctors and other health personnel can end up leading to a serious misdiagnosis, treatment and eventually injury. It's up to you to take charge of the medical attention you receive by being informed about your condition and keeping track of your medical history. Then, make sure that your care providers are also informed.