Great Resources

eastsidegoddess — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:13:17 -0500

Thanks for pulling together such good resources and references. It is very important for patients to take control of their own healthcare. My sister Kelly was interviewing pediatricians prior to the birth of her first child. She turned one down because he said that her child's medical chart would be considered his property and that she could only view it after his authorization and review! Thankfully, she asked him about his medical chart policy prior to becoming his patient. As a result of the time she took to interview pediatricians, she has found a wonderful doctor tha she and her children love.

Michele McBride

www.lunaslight.com

Did you know that preventable medical mistakes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States?

Catherine Morgan — Sat, 05 May 2007 02:27:28 -0500

We all know about the oath our doctors take to "do no harm". But, we also know that doctors are human, and humans make mistakes. What you might not know is; Death due to medical mistakes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It is estimated that over 100,000 people die each year from preventable medical errors.

Medical errors account for more deaths in America than breast cancer, AIDS or car accidents annually. -- read full article

This is a lot of people. To put this number into perspective; I just did a post on the HPV vaccine, that hopes to prevent 70% of the 3,670 deaths a year associated with cervical cancer. The problem of deaths due to medical mistakes is twenty times greater than the deaths caused by cervical cancer.

My intent is not to scare anyone with these numbers, but just to make people aware. When we are aware of problems, we are in a position to correct them...or at least increase our odds of correcting them. There is actually a campaign going on right now to help us NOT become part of this staggeringly high statistic, and that's what I want to tell you about. Read more about this national campaign to save lives.

Each year, 100,000 people die from medical mistakes. The causes are medical errors by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and technicians. That's why hospitals here in Orlando have signed up to be part of the 100,000 Lives campaign. -- read full article

In a radical and almost unheard of response; Hospitals are actually publicly volunteering information regarding patient errors, in an attempt to reduce deaths from medical mistakes. Wow! Quite frankly...I never thought I would hear that. Has your hospital joined in this campaign to save lives?

"Hospitals across the country are in the process of being transformed," said Dr. Berwick.

A transformation that may end up saving more lives than pills can.If a hospital is part of the 100,000 Lives campaign, it must post how many infections, mistakes and deaths the hospital is responsible for on its website. -- read full article

However, this campaign is 100% voluntary. So, we (the consumer/patient) need to do our homework when it comes to what hospitals we are going to. And not just for emergencies, but also for elective and outpatient procedures.

Patients should become more involved in their own health care. -- read full article

What can we do? We can make it our business to find out what hospitals in our community are participating in this campaign to save lives. Because, if we can choose to go to a hospital that is participating in this campaign to make public their record of mistakes...we will know that we are at a hospital that is putting our quality of care ahead of their own reputation. When you go to a hospital that is committed to admitting when they have made a mistake, you are also going to a hospital committed to learning from these mistakes.

Nothing is full-proof, but given the choice...you may be able to improve the odds in your favor a bit.

Tips From a Surgeon: What Every Patient Should Know Atul Gawande Reveals What Surgeons Often Donâ€™t Say -- read article

Were you aware of the large number of deaths each year due to medical errors? Is your local hospital a part of the 100,000 Lives campaign?

Have you been touched by the loss of a loved one due to a medical mistake? I unfortunately can relate, having had a close relative die of a needless medical oversight. No family should have to suffer this type of loss...but sadly, so many do.

Since having a good doctor is also so important....

How Do You Find a Good Doctor? -- by Denise from Health and Wellness at BlogHer

This is a post I did a few weeks ago on How to Rate Your Doctor and why you should.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com

BlogHer - Did you know that preventable medical mistakes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States? - Comments

Great Resources

Did you know that preventable medical mistakes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States?