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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The third leading cause of death in the US next to heart disease and cancer are medical errors in hospitals according to a study reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Patient Safety.
Some 400,000 hospital patients die annually from medical errors and these are preventable deaths! This number does not include patients who experience non-fatal medical errors – estimated to be 1 out of 25 hospitalized patients or 1 out of 7 Medicare hospitalized patients. These numbers are staggering and are raising great concern and outrage by consumers as well as healthcare professionals. Going into the hospital can make you sicker or even kill you!
Dr. Gwen van Servellen, healthcare professor, researcher, and author of “The Healthcare Handbook” points out that medical errors occur in hospitals for multiple reasons:
1. Misdiagnosis
2. Unnecessary treatment
3. Unnecessary tests and deadly procedures
4. Medication mistakes
5. Never events (shocking medical errors that should never occur, for example operating on the wrong side of the body or leaving an instrument inside the body)
6. Uncoordinated care, especially at shift changes
7. Infections transmitted from the hospital or hospital staff to the patient
8. Not-so-accidental accidents e.g. a malfunctioning medical device
9. Missed warning signs and by the time they are discovered by staff
there may be irreversible damage
10. Discharged home too fast
According to Dr. van Servellen: “As healthcare has become more and more complex and the potential of medical errors is so prevalent, it is vitally important that patients begin to educate themselves and take steps to insure a healthy treatment outcome. “
Dr. van Servellen offers many recommendations for this in her book, including the secrets to finding the best doctors, how to communicate effectively with them or your healthcare facility, how to make sure your health records are being kept accurately, what to expect from treatment, how to spot and avoid common medical errors, how and when to get a patient advocate, and more.
Dr. Gwen van Servellen is the author of “The Healthcare Handbook: How to Avoid Medical Errors, Find the Best Doctors, Be Your Own Patient Advocate & Get the Most from Healthcare”. She is a UCLA Professor Emeritus with 35 years of experience evaluating patient care and has published numerous peer reviewed articles and books focused on achieving high quality healthcare. Dr. van Servellen has also been a highly sought after consultant to hospitals, clinics, and universities worldwide. Her website is www.HealthCareBooks.net.
“The Healthcare Handbook” can be found at Amazon.com and www.HealthCareBooks.net
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