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Medical errors cause far too many deaths

New Yorkers who have recently spent time hospitalized may be dismayed to learn that studies have found 200,000 to 400,000 deaths happen annually as a result of preventable errors in hospitals around the country. In addition to the emotional costs to loved ones, medical mistakes are estimated to cost upwards of $15 billion annually in expenses such as patient care and prescription drug services.

Medical Malpractice Surrounding Doctor’s Failure to Detect Fetal Distress

When an unborn baby suffers fetal distress inside the mother’s womb, this phenomenon typically indicates that the baby is not getting adequate oxygen supply. The fetal monitoring strip, used by a New York hospital’s medical staff to monitor a baby’s heart, guides the obstetrician and supporting staff when to deliver the baby.

Lack of concern over medication errors from pharmacies

When New York residents pick up their prescription medication from their local pharmacy, they expect to be given the correct prescription and the correct amount. However, some individuals find that when pharmacies make mistakes, staff members and management often fail to respond to individuals’ concerns.

Medical Malpractice in NY Hospital’s Recovery Rooms

Following a surgery, a patient may be moved to the hospital’s recovery room if the medical staff thinks it is necessary to do so. In the recovery room, the patient is allowed to recover from the surgery, for example, while waiting until the effects of the anesthesia disappears.

Sustaining a Bad Cataract Surgery Leading and What You should do about it?

During a cataract surgery, the affected lens in a human eye is usually replaced by an artificial lens to improve the quality of vision. As this surgery has been fine-tuned over several decades, the vast majority of patients undergoing cataract report perceptibly improved vision after the surgery. But the sheer frequency and high volume of cataract surgery conducted by New York eye surgeons every year leave a high probability of medical malpractice.

C-section rates and dangers

A cesarean delivery can result in a long recovery period for a mother, but there are cases in which this procedure may be medically necessary to protect the life of either the mother or the child. C-section rates in New York and throughout the country are significant, higher than the rate deemed to be ideal by the World Health Organization. WHO indicates that the ideal rate for surgical deliveries is between 10 and 15 percent, but a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association suggests that 19 percent is better. The study used information from more than 50 nations and data from numerous C-section births to arrive at this value.

Infant medication errors caused many poison center calls

New York parents of infants should be interested to learn that a study found that many calls to poison centers regarding infants involved medication errors. The study analyzed more than 270,000 calls to the National Poison Data System over a period of 10 years.

Improving surgical safety for patients

People in New York and throughout the country who need surgery can be made safer with staff training that focuses on combining teamwork and communication along with systems improvement. Papers published in the journal Annals of Surgery describe studies by researchers at Oxford University’s Department of Surgical Sciences that examined five different approaches to training surgical staff to increase safety. The researchers looked at two different systems approaches, one cultural approach and two combination approaches.

Brain death and hospital policy inconsistencies

Because a diagnosis of brain death typically leads to life-ending actions through the withdrawal of life support, New York health care professionals must be completely sure when they make such a determination. Guidelines were implemented by the American Academy of Neurology in 2010 to facilitate accuracy in judgment in such cases. However, studies suggest that many hospitals are not adhering to these guidelines.