How Many Die From Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals?
by Marshall Allen
ProPublica
Sep. 19, 2013
...In 2010, the Office of Inspector General for Health and Human Services said that bad hospital care contributed to the deaths of 180,000 patients in Medicare alone in a given year. Now comes a study in the current issue of the Journal of Patient Safety that says the numbers may be much higher — between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year who go to the hospital for care suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death, the study says.
That would make medical errors the third-leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease, which is the first, and cancer, which is second.
The new estimates were developed by John T. James, a toxicologist at NASA’s space center in Houston who runs an advocacy organization called Patient Safety America. James has also written a book about the death of his 19-year-old son after what James maintains was negligent hospital care...
Showing posts with label doctor mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctor mistakes. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Friday, August 16, 2013
Sharp fined for almost removing wrong testicle--but the reporting system is voluntary for hospitals; most mistakes are covered-up
Shockingly, the 109 wrong site surgeries reported in 2012 were a "small proportion of actual events" according to the Joint Commission, which relies on hospitals to voluntarily report mistakes.
I am impressed that the Joint Commission would admit that hospitals cover-up a lot of mishaps. And I'm not surprised that the problem is increasing, since there is so little accountability. I imagine Sharp preferred to report a case of ALMOST removing the wrong testicle than to report cases where organs were mistakenly removed. In the more serious cases, the hospitals most likely pay a settlement to patients in exchange for a promise of silence.
Sharp fined for almost removing wrong testicle
State report says surgical team failed to follow procedure
By Paul Sisson
SDUT
Aug. 15, 2013
In a written response to the state, Sharp stated that it conducted mandatory training of all operating room staff after the incident and conducted 70 randomly selected audits of procedures per month to make sure that surgical sites were being properly marked. Those audits, Sharp said, resulted in a 100 percent compliance rate.
Wrong-site surgeries have been a topic of focus in the health care industry for more than a decade. Despite that focus, data suggest that the mistakes have increased over time.
According to The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals nationwide, 67 wrong-site surgeries were reported to the agency in 2002 and 109 were reported in 2012. That number is down significantly from 152 in 2011. The commission cautions that those numbers represent only the cases voluntarily reported and represent a “small proportion of actual events.”
In a written response to the state, Sharp stated that it conducted mandatory training of all operating room staff after the incident and conducted 70 randomly selected audits of procedures per month to make sure that surgical sites were being properly marked. Those audits, Sharp said, resulted in a 100 percent compliance rate.
Wrong-site surgeries have been a topic of focus in the health care industry for more than a decade. Despite that focus, data suggest that the mistakes have increased over time.
According to The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals nationwide, 67 wrong-site surgeries were reported to the agency in 2002 and 109 were reported in 2012. That number is down significantly from 152 in 2011.
The commission cautions that those numbers represent only the cases voluntarily reported and represent a “small proportion of actual events.”
I am impressed that the Joint Commission would admit that hospitals cover-up a lot of mishaps. And I'm not surprised that the problem is increasing, since there is so little accountability. I imagine Sharp preferred to report a case of ALMOST removing the wrong testicle than to report cases where organs were mistakenly removed. In the more serious cases, the hospitals most likely pay a settlement to patients in exchange for a promise of silence.
Sharp fined for almost removing wrong testicle
State report says surgical team failed to follow procedure
By Paul Sisson
SDUT
Aug. 15, 2013
In a written response to the state, Sharp stated that it conducted mandatory training of all operating room staff after the incident and conducted 70 randomly selected audits of procedures per month to make sure that surgical sites were being properly marked. Those audits, Sharp said, resulted in a 100 percent compliance rate.
Wrong-site surgeries have been a topic of focus in the health care industry for more than a decade. Despite that focus, data suggest that the mistakes have increased over time.
According to The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals nationwide, 67 wrong-site surgeries were reported to the agency in 2002 and 109 were reported in 2012. That number is down significantly from 152 in 2011. The commission cautions that those numbers represent only the cases voluntarily reported and represent a “small proportion of actual events.”
In a written response to the state, Sharp stated that it conducted mandatory training of all operating room staff after the incident and conducted 70 randomly selected audits of procedures per month to make sure that surgical sites were being properly marked. Those audits, Sharp said, resulted in a 100 percent compliance rate.
Wrong-site surgeries have been a topic of focus in the health care industry for more than a decade. Despite that focus, data suggest that the mistakes have increased over time.
According to The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals nationwide, 67 wrong-site surgeries were reported to the agency in 2002 and 109 were reported in 2012. That number is down significantly from 152 in 2011.
The commission cautions that those numbers represent only the cases voluntarily reported and represent a “small proportion of actual events.”
Monday, February 27, 2012
Many "mistakes" found in newbie-doctors' resumes
Many "mistakes" found in newbie-doctors' resumes
By Kerry Grens
Feb 21, 2012
(Reuters Health)
Honesty and attention to detail are qualities expected of physicians, yet two studies looking at applications to training programs in obstetrics show that up to 30 out of every 100 applicants took credit for research publications that could not be found.
"Our hope is that these are honest mistakes and not willful attempts to mislead," said Dr. Michael Frumovitz, a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and lead author of one of the studies.
In a field where precision is important, "even if it's an honest mistake it's very troubling," he said.
Earlier studies have found that other specialties within medicine suffer from the same problem.
Anywhere from one to 30 percent of applications to training programs in radiology, emergency medicine, orthopedics and others include references to published research that can't be located by reviewers.
Frumovitz and his colleagues and a separate group at the University of Washington, who published their reports in Obstetrics & Gynecology, wanted to find out if the same was true in their fields.
The team led by Frumovitz collected all 258 applications to a fellowship program at MD Anderson in gynecologic oncology from 2004 to 2008.
The applicants were doctors who had completed their medical school and residency training.
Of the 148 doctors who listed that they had published research findings, 44 included a reference to a publication that Frumovitz's group could not track down.
"We all believe that applicants have the best intention and are representing themselves truthfully. But (this result) falls right in line with others who have done similar work," said Frumovitz.
The University of Washington team, led by Dr. Anne-Marie Amies Oelschlager, looked through two years' worth of applications to a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology.
Residents are doctors who have finished medical school, and are continuing their required clinical training in a particular field.
Among the 937 applicants, 357 put down that they had at least one research study that was published or about to be published in a peer-reviewed outlet.
When Amies Oelschlager's group went to find those publications, 156 of the 1,000 publications listed turned up missing.
They looked online, in publication databases and even contacted the journal for verification.
Of the other publications that were confirmed, the researchers found inaccuracies there as well.
The biggest error was that 62 applicants had listed a publication as "peer-reviewed" when it wasn't.
Peer review involves submitting a study for scrutiny by other researchers before it gets published, and therefore implies a high degree of rigor.
Amies Oelschlager said her study could not tell whether these were honest mistakes or intentional misrepresentations.
"The best you can assume is that these applicants didn't look up what peer review meant or they don't understand it," she told Reuters Health. "None of that is flattering and you worry whether they really understand the tenets of authorship, research, what is peer review and what is not."
Residencies and fellowships are competitive, and research experience is looked upon favorably when applicants are being reviewed.
"Applicants might be deliberately padding their resumes to try and get a spot, and it's concerning. The whole thing about being a physician is that you are expected to be honest," Amies Oelschlager said.
Dr. Lee Learman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Indiana University School of Medicine, said that it's not clear whether errors on applications relate to errors in medical practice, but it is of concern.
He said that medical students and residents should be aware that misrepresenting their work could have negative consequences on their careers.
"Even though we don't know how this predicts future infractions, most directors of residencies and fellowships don't want to take the risk," Learman told Reuters Health. "They might say, this person might misrepresent data about a patient or misrepresent a step they took during surgery."
Learman encouraged directors of residency and fellowship programs to check the accuracy of applications, and if they can't find the publications listed, to ask the person to produce a copy.
Frumovitz said one way to make sure publication lists are accurate is to require that applicants include a copy of the paper or an identification number that will make it easier to look up.
Amies Oelschlager and her colleagues suggested that medical schools should include training in authorship and peer review.
By Kerry Grens
Feb 21, 2012
(Reuters Health)
Honesty and attention to detail are qualities expected of physicians, yet two studies looking at applications to training programs in obstetrics show that up to 30 out of every 100 applicants took credit for research publications that could not be found.
"Our hope is that these are honest mistakes and not willful attempts to mislead," said Dr. Michael Frumovitz, a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and lead author of one of the studies.
In a field where precision is important, "even if it's an honest mistake it's very troubling," he said.
Earlier studies have found that other specialties within medicine suffer from the same problem.
Anywhere from one to 30 percent of applications to training programs in radiology, emergency medicine, orthopedics and others include references to published research that can't be located by reviewers.
Frumovitz and his colleagues and a separate group at the University of Washington, who published their reports in Obstetrics & Gynecology, wanted to find out if the same was true in their fields.
The team led by Frumovitz collected all 258 applications to a fellowship program at MD Anderson in gynecologic oncology from 2004 to 2008.
The applicants were doctors who had completed their medical school and residency training.
Of the 148 doctors who listed that they had published research findings, 44 included a reference to a publication that Frumovitz's group could not track down.
"We all believe that applicants have the best intention and are representing themselves truthfully. But (this result) falls right in line with others who have done similar work," said Frumovitz.
The University of Washington team, led by Dr. Anne-Marie Amies Oelschlager, looked through two years' worth of applications to a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology.
Residents are doctors who have finished medical school, and are continuing their required clinical training in a particular field.
Among the 937 applicants, 357 put down that they had at least one research study that was published or about to be published in a peer-reviewed outlet.
When Amies Oelschlager's group went to find those publications, 156 of the 1,000 publications listed turned up missing.
They looked online, in publication databases and even contacted the journal for verification.
Of the other publications that were confirmed, the researchers found inaccuracies there as well.
The biggest error was that 62 applicants had listed a publication as "peer-reviewed" when it wasn't.
Peer review involves submitting a study for scrutiny by other researchers before it gets published, and therefore implies a high degree of rigor.
Amies Oelschlager said her study could not tell whether these were honest mistakes or intentional misrepresentations.
"The best you can assume is that these applicants didn't look up what peer review meant or they don't understand it," she told Reuters Health. "None of that is flattering and you worry whether they really understand the tenets of authorship, research, what is peer review and what is not."
Residencies and fellowships are competitive, and research experience is looked upon favorably when applicants are being reviewed.
"Applicants might be deliberately padding their resumes to try and get a spot, and it's concerning. The whole thing about being a physician is that you are expected to be honest," Amies Oelschlager said.
Dr. Lee Learman, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Indiana University School of Medicine, said that it's not clear whether errors on applications relate to errors in medical practice, but it is of concern.
He said that medical students and residents should be aware that misrepresenting their work could have negative consequences on their careers.
"Even though we don't know how this predicts future infractions, most directors of residencies and fellowships don't want to take the risk," Learman told Reuters Health. "They might say, this person might misrepresent data about a patient or misrepresent a step they took during surgery."
Learman encouraged directors of residency and fellowship programs to check the accuracy of applications, and if they can't find the publications listed, to ask the person to produce a copy.
Frumovitz said one way to make sure publication lists are accurate is to require that applicants include a copy of the paper or an identification number that will make it easier to look up.
Amies Oelschlager and her colleagues suggested that medical schools should include training in authorship and peer review.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Alcoholism not uncommon among surgeons
Alcoholism not uncommon among surgeons
By Kerry Grens
Feb 22, 2012
(Reuters Health) - About 15 percent of surgeons have alcohol abuse or dependency problems, a rate that is somewhat higher than the rest of the population, according to a new survey.
The researchers also found that surgeons who showed signs of alcoholism were 45 percent more likely to admit that they had a major medical error in the past three months.
"Surgery is a stressful business. There are people who turn to alcohol to help deal with their stress," said Dr. Edward Livingston, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.
"Does that affect their performance? Who knows?" he said.
The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Oreskovich at the University of Washington, sent out a survey to more than 25,000 surgeons.
The questions asked about work, lifestyle and mood, and several were used to screen for alcohol abuse or dependency.
Overall, 15 percent of surgeons showed signs of alcohol problems. Other studies have estimated that, among the general population, the number is about nine percent.
The study did not determine why alcohol problems might be more common among surgeons.
Oreskovich's results showed that alcohol problems were linked with the doctors reporting depression and burnout as well.
Even within the various fields of medicine, surgery is considered particularly demanding.
"The nature of the beast is that the percent of emergencies, the percent of after hours work, and actual scheduled work itself all require an energy and concentration that is really different than a lot of the other specialties," Oreskovich said.
About 14 percent of male surgeons and 25 percent of female surgeons showed signs of alcohol problems.
The study could not explain why women appear to be more at risk of alcoholism in this group.
"Observations from previous studies show that the stress of being a surgeon, and balancing professional and personal obligations, is much more prevalent in female than male surgeons," Oreskovich told Reuters Health.
ERRORS, ALCOHOL LINKED?
Among the 722 physicians who said they had a major medical error in the past three months, 77 percent of them scored within the range of having alcohol problems.
These results "show there's a big problem and that we need to do something about it, especially for the patients but also for the physicians' health and well being," Oreskovich said.
"Obviously, this is a signal for further study," he added.
One of the limitations of the survey is that only about 7,200 surgeons out of the 25,000 queried responded to the survey.
In an editorial accompanying the report in the Archives of Surgery, Livingston points out that this is a very low response rate.
"If you have a low response rate, you don't know if it represents the universe of people you're trying to study," he told Reuters Health.
Oreskovich said it's possible that the percent of surgeons with alcoholism is underestimated in this study, "because I think the folks who are less likely to respond may have shame and guilt and fear associated with their alcohol abuse and dependence that they don't want to report on the survey."
He said that other studies of physicians who go into rehabilitation show very low relapse rates back into substance abuse.
By Kerry Grens
Feb 22, 2012
(Reuters Health) - About 15 percent of surgeons have alcohol abuse or dependency problems, a rate that is somewhat higher than the rest of the population, according to a new survey.
The researchers also found that surgeons who showed signs of alcoholism were 45 percent more likely to admit that they had a major medical error in the past three months.
"Surgery is a stressful business. There are people who turn to alcohol to help deal with their stress," said Dr. Edward Livingston, a professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.
"Does that affect their performance? Who knows?" he said.
The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Oreskovich at the University of Washington, sent out a survey to more than 25,000 surgeons.
The questions asked about work, lifestyle and mood, and several were used to screen for alcohol abuse or dependency.
Overall, 15 percent of surgeons showed signs of alcohol problems. Other studies have estimated that, among the general population, the number is about nine percent.
The study did not determine why alcohol problems might be more common among surgeons.
Oreskovich's results showed that alcohol problems were linked with the doctors reporting depression and burnout as well.
Even within the various fields of medicine, surgery is considered particularly demanding.
"The nature of the beast is that the percent of emergencies, the percent of after hours work, and actual scheduled work itself all require an energy and concentration that is really different than a lot of the other specialties," Oreskovich said.
About 14 percent of male surgeons and 25 percent of female surgeons showed signs of alcohol problems.
The study could not explain why women appear to be more at risk of alcoholism in this group.
"Observations from previous studies show that the stress of being a surgeon, and balancing professional and personal obligations, is much more prevalent in female than male surgeons," Oreskovich told Reuters Health.
ERRORS, ALCOHOL LINKED?
Among the 722 physicians who said they had a major medical error in the past three months, 77 percent of them scored within the range of having alcohol problems.
These results "show there's a big problem and that we need to do something about it, especially for the patients but also for the physicians' health and well being," Oreskovich said.
"Obviously, this is a signal for further study," he added.
One of the limitations of the survey is that only about 7,200 surgeons out of the 25,000 queried responded to the survey.
In an editorial accompanying the report in the Archives of Surgery, Livingston points out that this is a very low response rate.
"If you have a low response rate, you don't know if it represents the universe of people you're trying to study," he told Reuters Health.
Oreskovich said it's possible that the percent of surgeons with alcoholism is underestimated in this study, "because I think the folks who are less likely to respond may have shame and guilt and fear associated with their alcohol abuse and dependence that they don't want to report on the survey."
He said that other studies of physicians who go into rehabilitation show very low relapse rates back into substance abuse.
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