IS THE PATIENT CARE YOU RECEIVE SAFE?
MEDICAL ERRORS TAKE THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EVERY YEAR. GOVERNMENT BODIES AND AGENCIES HAVE DEVOTED MANY HARD-WORKING HOURS IN AN ATTEMPT TO PREVENT ERRORS FROM HAPPENING. INVESTIGATIONS, REPORTS AND GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED. BUT ARE WE, AS CONSUMERS, SEEING AN IMPROVEMENT IN DELIVERY OF CARE WITH DECREASING ERRORS? ARE WE, AS CONSUMERS, RECEIVING SAFER PATIENT CARE? DO WE, AS CONSUMERS NEED TO BE WORRIED WHEN WE ENTER A HOSPITAL, NURSING HOME OR DOCTOR’S OFFICE?
THE ANSWER IS ‘YES YES YES.’
THE MEDIA HAS, OF RECENT, FOCUSED LARGELY ON MEDICAL ERRORS. ONE WOULD ASK WHY THE MEDIA DID NOT BRING TO LIGHT YEARS AND YEARS AGO THIS HORRENDOUS PROBLEM.
PHYSICIANS AT THEIR ANNUAL CONFERENCES HAVE FOCUSED THEIR ATTENTION ON MEDICAL ERRORS, WANTING TO DECREASE THE NUMBER AND TO PROVIDE SAFER DELIVERY OF HEALTHCARE.
FOR YEARS MEDICAL PROBLEMS WERE NOT ADDRESSED, WHICH WAS UNFORTUNATE AND MANY SUFFERED.
TODAY WE ARE SEEING MORE TIME DEVOTED TO PREVENTION OF ERRORS. HOSPITALS ARE ADDRESSING SYSTEM PROBLEMS TO DECREASE AND STOP ERRORS. I.e., NEW POLICY AND PROCEDURE PLACEMENT, AS WELL AS OVERHAULING THEIR SYSTEM OF DELIVERY OF CARE. BUT, ARE WE, AS CONSUMERS SAFER? HOPEFULLY, WE ARE. AS WE PUT OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN OUR PHYSICIANS AND NURSES, WE NEED TO KNOW WE ARE SAFER AND THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IN KEEPING US SAFE.
SADLY ENOUGH, NUMBERS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT BETWEEN 44,000 AND 98,000 AMERICANS DIE EACH YEAR AS A RESULT OF MEDICAL ERRORS. THIS IS THE EIGHTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. MORE PEOPLE DIE FROM MEDICAL ERRORS THAN FROM AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS, BREAST CANCER OR AIDS.
(INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE REPORTS)
ERRORS THAT ARE MADE BY AN INDIVIDUAL ARE USUALLY THE RESULT OF A BREAKDOWN IN THE SYSTEM.
An example of an error is a patient who had a fairly large instrument left inside his abdominal cavity. He developed an infection after surgery... Why? Good question? The instrument was left behind. Certainly unbelievable. Where was the doctor, nurse?
A system problem, for sure. The hospital did not have, in place, a policy for ensuring that instruments were all accounted for after surgery. So, one would ask, where were the nurses and surgical technicians? Did no one notice? How could this happen? All very reasonable questions.
This could have been avoided if the hospital had a policy in place to check all instruments used before, during and after surgery. Even thought all staff involved should have been aware of this, often, staffs need a check list to maintain safe practices. Frightening, well, it should be.
Another example is the patient who received medication hours late. The nurse administered the medication, but was she solely responsible? Did she have the medication readily available? Did the pharmacy send the medication in a timely manner? Did the pharmacy receive the order (doctor’s) in a timely manner? As you can see, there are many components to an error. A system’s problem, indeed.
It will be a long and challenging time to correct this massive systems problem of medical errors. We, as consumers, due to this, need to be even more cognizant of what is being done to our body. Imperative to ask questions anytime a nurse or doctor is delivering care.
The underlying cause of the medical error needs to be identified, first, before it can be corrected. As an example, if we look at a frequent error where the patient receives the wrong medication or wrong dosage of medication, we see a nurse administering the medication. Is it the nurse’s fault? Is it the system within the hospital’s fault? Whose fault is it?
When a medication error is made, the person who made the error must fill out an ‘incident’ report. This report is called by different names, depending on the hospital and what they chose to name it. However, it is used, or should be used, for purposes of learning what happened, why, and how to prevent the incident from happening again.
Over the years, hospitals have attempted to instill in their nursing staff, as well as other staff, that the incident reports are educational and one should learn from the mistake. However, a punitive value has also been attached to this. Ask any nurse and you will hear about the punitive nature of the hospital environment. Hopefully, our hospital systems have allowed staff who make an error to be comfortable in coming forth and saying a mistake was made, along with not feeling punitive measures will be taken against that staff. Certainly, some errors, require a punitive value. Many will argue that, but this is my opinion.
Other mistakes are due to understaffed patient care units. Frequently, we see a shortage of nursing staff which leads to nurses being overworked and not having enough time to delivery patient care. Another avenue for mistakes to be made. Often nurses work when they are ill, rather than being at home and getting well. This, in and of itself, it a challenge. Nurses usually have a certain number of days they can use for when they are sick. However, if one uses all these days, more than not, they get a reprimand. Interesting, huh? Certainly is...................As you can see, the system is contradicting itself in a manner of speaking. Nurses work sick, get sicker and have to take more time, therefore, possibly leaving the hospital understaffed. Of course, we can also look at the nurse who is sick and brings her germs to the patient. Infections acquired in hospitals is increasing and not decreasing. Should you be scared, indeed, you should.
The bottom line is that those connected to healthcare who are providing patient care need to be aware that patient safety is the priority. All too often, due to the present healthcare situation, hospital employees are rushed, overworked, understaffed and certainly overwhelmed with their workloads. This is how mistakes are made.
Medical mistakes occur in hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices and any other place where patient care is delivered.
In spite of numerous government agencies, congressional committees, medical organizations and associations, universities, as well as private organizations focusing on patient safety, medical errors continue, and, not to decline in any significant number. Therefore, we, as consumers, need to be educated and informed.
Doctor, nurse, tell me what you are doing.................
I need an explanation, it is my body...........
Do you know I am afraid?.......................
Can you alleviate my fear?...................
Doctor, nurse tell me what you are doing..............
Doctor, nurse, tell me what you are doing............
What is the medication for..................
Will I have side effects...............
Doctor, nurse, tell me what you are doing............
Doctor, nurse, tell me what you are doing..............
I am at your mercy..................
I have to trust and believe in you.................
Doctor, nurse, tell me what you are doing...............
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