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Medical Errors Pose Serious Risks to Florida Patients
Surgical and emergency room errors that are preventable but instead lead to injury or death are still a problem in Florida hospitals.
November 29, 2011 /Medical PR News/ -- While on vacation in Florida, an Ohio retiree experienced bad stomach pains during a round of golf. The pain was so bad that he left the course and went to the hospital. At that point, miscommunications and missteps took place that led to the visitor's tragic and wholly preventable demise.
When the golfer was admitted, his surgeon ordered his stomach pumped prior to operating and the aesthetician decided that intubation would be appropriate way to administer anesthesia during his surgical procedure. Unfortunately, neither the surgeon nor the anesthesiologist followed up with the progress of either action. The nurses performing the stomach pump did not fully accomplish it, and the anesthesiologist failed to confirm that it was done before the patient was intubated. As a result, once the breathing tube was inserted, the patient vomited into the tube, inhaled the vomit and choked on it. He died from a massive lung infection the next day.
Fatal Medical Errors Not Limited to Florida Hospitals
But, unfortunately, surgical errors, emergency room errors any other types of medical malpractice are not limited to Florida hospitals. Medical errors like this occur every day in hospitals across the country. A study of Colorado hospitals between January 2002 and June 2008 found that doctors operated on the wrong body part 107 times and the wrong person 25 times, in some cases leading to serious injury or death of the patient.
Another study published in Health Affairs by Dr. David Classen found that hospital tracking tools miss 90 percent of all medical errors, pointing to a gross deficiency in current procedure that puts patients at grave risk.
In Florida Hospitals, Communication May Be the Difference Between Life and Death
When someone is admitted to a hospital, a team of medical professionals is immediately involved, including doctors, nurses and administrative staff. With so many points of contact for the patient, miscommunication is a common occurrence. Fortunately, there are several things that patients can do and that hospitals can implement that can reduce medical errors.
Patients and their families should always maintain good communication with their medical team, including asking questions about what type of care is being provided and why it is necessary. The more a patient understands the medical process, the more aware he or she will be if something seems amiss.
Medical professionals need to make more of an effort to communicate with each other as well. Studies have found that organization and communication make the biggest difference in reducing medical errors.
One example of how better communication and organization can be implemented is the Universal Protocol. This is a series of steps to follow during surgical procedures that requires all medical staff involved to sign in prior to the surgery, formally acknowledge the surgical site, and incorporate three "time-outs" into the surgery: one before the procedure begins, one during the actual surgery and one after the procedure. The general idea behind the Universal Protocol is that incorporating time to think about the procedure and acknowledging the patient and surgical site will increase communication, reduce errors and keep medical professionals accountable for what happens in the operating room.
Medical errors should never occur, but will continue to plague the nation until hospitals make a solid effort to increase communication and organization. If you or a loved one have fallen victim to a medical error, please consult an experienced Miami medical malpractice attorney who can help you assert your rights against the hospital or medical professional that caused you injury.
Article provided by Friedman, Rodman & Frank, P.A.
Visit us at www.friedmanrodmanfrank.com
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