Physician burnout and medical errors
The results of a national survey indicate that over 50 percent of doctors in New York and the rest of the nation are burned out. The results also indicate that those doctors have a higher likelihood of committing medical errors.
Errors with electronic health records vary across systems
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association indicates that the reliability and usefulness of electronic health records may vary widely across different systems. EHR error rates also varied among the different tasks physicians were asked to perform, and were as high as 50 percent for certain tasks. That could be important information for New York patients.
IV drug shortages can result in medical errors
In New York hospitals, drug shortages can be a major obstacle. When there are shortages of certain drugs, medication errors may be more likely to occur, especially if they have an impact on the methods for compounding sterile products. Establishing preparedness processes and best practices can help ensure that hospitals are prepared for shortages and able to mitigate any errors these shortages could potentially cause.
Antibiotic overuse can harm care facility patients
People in long-term care facilities in New York and around the country can be at particular risk of harm due to medication errors and the improper prescription of antibiotics. In particular, when antibiotics are used improperly to treat urinary tract infections, patients can be put at elevated risk of harm, especially due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. These types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a major threat not only inside long-term care facilities but to overall public health.
Doctor facing multiple malpractice lawsuits
Patients in New York and throughout the country trust that their doctors will treat them with care and respect. However, one cosmetic surgeon who is known for posting videos of dancing while performing procedures is the subject of multiple medical malpractice lawsuits. The suits claim that the patients had infections and suffered from brain damage because of the doctor’s negligence.
Safety grades shed light on hospital care quality
New Yorkers may be concerned about the quality of care they will receive when they enter the hospital for surgery or other serious medical treatment. A spring 2018 safety report card issued by the Leapfrog Group noted that standards had improved at four hospitals in Central New York while safety grades had declined at four additional medical centers in the region. The report is issued twice a year and assigns letter grades– A, B, C, D and F — to hospital safety practices across the country.
Research on effectiveness of mobile health app
Physicians in New York have many resources that they can use to help determine the types of tests and diagnoses patients need. Mobile health applications are one of the tools that may help improve how physicians make diagnostic decisions. However, many of them have not been clinically evaluated.
False penicillin allergies limit effective antibiotic choices
A medical study has shown that the majority of people who believe that they have a penicillin allergy, in fact, do not. When wrongly labeled with this allergy, people in New York and elsewhere have their infections treated with alternative antibiotics that tend to be less effective and cost more. The unnecessary use of alternative antibiotics also increases opportunities for bacteria to develop a resistance to strong antibiotics.
Infusion errors account for over half of adverse drug events
The vast majority of people who enter hospitals in New York will receive an infusion during treatment. The ECRI Institute, an independent nonprofit organization that promotes improvements in patient care, identified infusion errors as the top source of medical technology errors in 2017. Every year, 1.5 million adverse drug events afflict patients, and 54 percent of them arise from infusion errors.
Cancer misdiagnosis can have devastating consequences
It is estimated that less than 2 percent of potential cancer patients in New York and across the U.S. receive incorrect test results from a hospital pathology lab. While this number is relatively low, the consequences of such mistakes can be devastating for the patients involved.