Getting treatment for a rare disease
For many New York residents who are suffering from a rare disease, getting treatment can be very difficult. However, advocacy groups are working to get legislation passed that would help those suffering from a rare diseases to seek treatment.
Wrong patient has kidney removed
New Yorkers might be shocked to learn about a case in Massachusetts in which a doctor reportedly removed a kidney from the wrong patient. The incident reportedly occurred at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester and is being investigated by the Massachusetts Department of Health.
Software helps prevent medication errors
New York residents may know that medication errors are a leading cause of patient harm in the United States, and that they are often fatal. To combat the problem, pharmacists are using special software to help identify these mistakes before they occur.
New tool for reducing shift-change errors in hospitals
Patients in New York may be less likely to suffer from medical malpractice related to shift changes if more hospitals begin to adopt the technology currently in use at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. According to a research letter that appeared in JAMA on Aug. 1, an electronic patient record is a useful tool in reducing errors.
Do rehab hospitals harm more than help?
Rehab hospitals are a place for rest and recovery after surgery or injury. Patients expect a healing environment as they recover from knee replacement surgeries, strokes and other procedures. According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), however, almost one-third of Medicare patients in rehab facilities suffered harm due to the care they received.
Death of young child shows danger anesthesia poses to children
When a child dies, it’s always a tragedy not only for the parents but for the community as well. But when a child dies because of someone else’s negligence, grief is oftentimes accompanied by anger and the gut-wrenching question, “Could anything have been done to prevent the tragedy?”
Health care industry improves disclosures about errors
Surgical patients in New York hospitals certainly dread the possibility of errors during a procedure. A changing attitude about disclosing mistakes to patients, however, could result in them hearing about mistakes more often. Commenting about the challenges of informing patients, a professor of health policy, management, medicine and surgery said that physicians also endure negative emotions about their mistakes. Communicating them to patients is a challenge.
Sepsis injury or death may be due to medical negligence
Sepsis causes tens of thousands of deaths each year in New York and throughout the country. It arises when an infection in one part of the body spreads into other parts, including the bloodstream. An infection that begins in the lungs, skin or abdomen may eventually impact the whole of the body.
80-hour rule may impact patients and medical residents
The American Council of Graduate Medical Education has imposed a rule on medical residents limiting the amount of time that they can spend at the hospital to 80 hours per week. The rule applies regardless of specialty or whether the residents are working in New York or elsewhere. While the regulation was made to address doctor fatigue, some residents oppose the restriction because it does not take into account individual training programs. Many also argue that this rule can impact patients adversely.
How a single birth injury can end up costing you your life
As functioning members of society, we can easily imagine what we would miss if we lost the ability to perform even the most simplest of tasks. Perhaps that’s why it’s easy for us to consider the opportunities and life experiences children miss out on when they suffer a birth injury.