Archive: Patient Safety

Technorati code: EN43MSVQ3RNG  The issue of medical errors resulting from alarm fatigue has been prominent for some time, and a major hospital accrediting group has just added its voice to concerns over this phenomenon. The Joint Commission, an independent organization that…

A regulatory effort aimed at reducing the risk of medical errors by fatigued medical residents has failed to have the desired result. If anything, medical errors have actually increased since the regulation went into effect. The change, enacted in 2011,…

Patients who have emergency surgery on weekends may have extra reason for concern. According to an analysis, weekend surgeries may involve a higher risk of complications than the same surgeries performed on weekdays. The researchers analyzed data involving 7,112 surgeries for…

Every year, thousands of children suffer complications from a fairly common procedure involving the insertion of a central venous catheter into the body. The Seattle medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC have learned that there is a higher risk…

Even as rates of other hospital-acquired infections like MRSA have been dropping, the number of infections caused by the Clostridium difficile bacteria, or C. diff, has been on the increase. Many hospitals have established infection control strategies to reduce the…

Federal agencies warn about a spike in the number of infections involving rare but potentially deadly pathogens that are resistant to almost all types of antibiotics. Health officials have already warned hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities that they may…

A new study supports the use of electronic prescriptions to reduce medical errors and enhance patient safety. According to the study, which was published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, hospitals that use…

Approximately 1.5 million people around the world undergo dialysis treatment for kidney failure. This is a process by which blood is filtered to remove wastes and impurities. A new study finds that patients who are on dialysis using catheters may…

People in states with the widest income gaps between rich and poor are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, according to a report published by the British Medical Journal. The researchers examined data…

Thanks to an increased focus on patient safety and minimization of infection risks, American hospitals have reduced the rates of common hospital-acquired infections. However, our Seattle medical malpractice attorneys believe that more progress can be achieved. The Centers for Disease…