There is no question that one of the most exciting yet singularly stressful times in lives of parents are the hours, minutes and even seconds leading up to the birth of a child. That’s because most are acutely aware of everything that can go wrong during labor and delivery.
According to research, surgical errors occur more than 4,000 times a year in the United States. A study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, suggests that between 210,000 and 440,000 patients who visit hospitals for treatment succumb to some form of preventable harm that leads to a fatal end. Not impressive but it is enlightening.
According to a study published in the Archives of Surgery in 2009, the highest rate of incorrect procedures within the operating room involves ophthalmology cases.
A recent study conducted with help from a New York radiologist has demonstrated that breast MRIs are susceptible to major error when they are performed while the patient is in the wrong position. The researchers say that MRIs should be done while the patient is in the supine position, also known as lying face-up, so that they can have the best opportunity for successful surgical results.
The medical community here in the U.S. was rocked by the recent publication of an eye-opening report in the BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, which made some altogether astonishing findings concerning our nation’s rate of preventable medical errors.
