7/28/2014

Avoidable Medical Harms in Hospitals Gaining Attention

Rhode Island Public Radio reported this month on a U.S. Senate subcommittee panel where medical experts testified on the need for better metrics for reporting medical mistakes in hospitals. One of the biggest problems, according to those who testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, is that hospitals and health agencies are not accurately measuring these harms. 

One expert, Dr. Tejal Gandhi, president of the National Patient Safety Foundation, said that studies show that "medication errors, adverse drug events and injuries due to drugs occur in up to 25 percent of patients within 30 days of being prescribed a drug." Another study accounted for up to 400,000 patient deaths a year caused by medical mistakes in hospitals.

Read the full article on RIPR.com: Health Safety Experts Call For Public Reporting Of Medical Harms.

In a related news item on WPRI, FOX Providence, Channel 12, former Eyewitness News anchor, Pat Mastors is spearheading a national campaign calling for Congress to investigate problems related to unintended medical harm and to add accountability. See the video below.



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