Tag: medical errors

Distracted Doctoring – One More Things to Worry About

I had not heard of this until the New York Times article late last year ‰ÛÒ distracted doctoring. That‰Ûªs scary! All of the technology hospitals now have is great. And while the article does mention that the technology can distract practitioners, it also pointed out that doctors and nurses may...

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5 Things to Do to Hold Your Physician Accountable

Truth or Consequences@Ron Levine, Getty Images In a recent Health Affairs article: Two-thirds of doctors responding to a survey agreed that they should disclose serious medical errors to patients. åÊ One-third did not completely agree that they should.åÊ Nearly two-fifths said they did not completely agree that they should disclose...

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Being Your Own Patient Advocate

@Comstoc, Getty Images Joe and Teresa Graedon’s book “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them” is an acknowledgment that serious mistakes are made at every hospital in America on a daily basis. Its genesis started with their own nightmare involving Joe’s mother’s care in an NC hospital.The Graedon’s...

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Medical Errors Hospitalizing Seniors Most

According to data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of patients treated in a hospital after a bad reaction to medication grew 52% between 2004 and 2008. More than half of the errors involved seniors over the age of 65. Taking or being given the wrong...

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Disciplined Nurses Database is a Dirty Little Secret

Any wonder patient and resident experience suffers in our health care facilities; word comes of another hidden resource that might be able to help but has not been shared. The Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank was created 22 years ago to help hospitals and nursing homes perform background checks...

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Voice Activated Resident Charting Saves Lives, Captures Revenue

The Villa St. Joseph, a nursing home near Pittsburgh, PA has introduced a voice activated computer system called AccuNurse that documents in real time all of the care being provided. Gone are charting specific patient interactions sometimes hours after they occurred. That only increases the likelihood of errors and omissions....

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Families Are Not Visitors But Advocates for Care

A Wall Street Journal article explores the notion that families are in the best position to be advocates for their loved ones health but can not be looked upon as mere visitors in the hospital but as Beverly Johnson, president of the nonprofit Institute for Family-Centered Care, puts it “allies...

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