Agency Studies Ways to Reduce Medical Mistakes
July 19, 2001
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, recently announced suggestions to help hospitals reduce medical mistakes.
The Agency reviewed 79 widely used patient safety practices. Surprisingly, it found that the majority of these practices were effective but were not used routinely in hospitals and nursing homes. It also found that some of the techniques have not been tested enough to establish their safety.
Some of the most effective methods include, but are not limited to, treating surgery patients with beta blockers to prevent heart attacks, using electronic prescription systems, treating surgery patients with antibiotics to prevent infections, and using ultrasounds to guide the insertion of intravenous tubes.
The Agency conducted this research in the shadow of increasing numbers of fatal medical errors. Recent estimates indicate that anywhere from 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year because of such errors.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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