According to the FDA, there are two new cases of brain inflammation that have been seen in patients who are being treated with the lymphoma drug brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris). The brain inflammation is considered life-threatening.
After taking the drug, there are currently three patients who have been diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).
Symptoms for (PML) include headache, memory loss, vision problems, loss of language ability, and weakness in the arms and legs.
The FDA has now created a new warning on the drug's box that lets consumers see the new dangerous risk associated with it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Hospital Mistakes Being Kept Secret
According to an investigation by the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it seems that some hospital mistakes are being kept under wraps in the state of Georgia.
The hospital errors being kept confidential include patient suicides, surgical errors, and sexual assaults.
The Journal-Constitution reported this after a recent patient from a Lawrenceville hospital committed suicide. Whether the hospital is at fault, the public may not know.
The state refuses to show unconfirmed charges of mistakes and wrongdoing, and does not let the public review reports that their hospitals submit following errors that happened, according to the Journal-Constitution.
With information regarding how many and what types of errors the hospitals have done, it makes it difficult for patients to see whether the hospital they are being treated at has a history of complaints or problems.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source:
Click here to read the full article: FierceHealthcare
The hospital errors being kept confidential include patient suicides, surgical errors, and sexual assaults.
The Journal-Constitution reported this after a recent patient from a Lawrenceville hospital committed suicide. Whether the hospital is at fault, the public may not know.
The state refuses to show unconfirmed charges of mistakes and wrongdoing, and does not let the public review reports that their hospitals submit following errors that happened, according to the Journal-Constitution.
With information regarding how many and what types of errors the hospitals have done, it makes it difficult for patients to see whether the hospital they are being treated at has a history of complaints or problems.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source:
Click here to read the full article: FierceHealthcare
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Reporting Patient-Safety Incidents
According to a new report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), only 14 percent of the patient-safety incidents experienced by Medicare beneficiaries were reported in October 2008.
The remaining 86 percent failed to be reported due to the partial fact that staff does not understand what can constitute as patient harm.
The 189 hospitals that were reviewed use incident reporting systems to help identify and track patient safety incidents. However, workers and administrators admitted to supplying incomplete data about how often these problems occur.
Since the report, the OIG has suggested that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should work closely together to improve the efficiency of the incident reporting systems.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source: FierceHealthcare
The remaining 86 percent failed to be reported due to the partial fact that staff does not understand what can constitute as patient harm.
The 189 hospitals that were reviewed use incident reporting systems to help identify and track patient safety incidents. However, workers and administrators admitted to supplying incomplete data about how often these problems occur.
Since the report, the OIG has suggested that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should work closely together to improve the efficiency of the incident reporting systems.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source: FierceHealthcare
Monday, January 9, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Clinical Notes Made Available for Patients to See
If you had access to your clinical notes, would you want to view them?
Harvard Medical School researchers came up with the idea to have the notes available for patients to read as an experiment. In 2009, the OpenNotes launched at Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Results of the survey was published in Annals of Internal Medicine in December 2011.
Overall, 92% to 97% of participating patients and 69% to 81% of participating physicians thought it was a good idea to open the clinical notes for patients to see.
Some physicians worried that the notes would be too difficult for patients to understand. Some also thought that they would alter what they wrote if they knew that their patient would be reading it.
Most patients loved the idea of having their notes available to see, and it made them feel more involved and in control of their care.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source: American Medical News
Harvard Medical School researchers came up with the idea to have the notes available for patients to read as an experiment. In 2009, the OpenNotes launched at Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania, Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Results of the survey was published in Annals of Internal Medicine in December 2011.
Overall, 92% to 97% of participating patients and 69% to 81% of participating physicians thought it was a good idea to open the clinical notes for patients to see.
Some physicians worried that the notes would be too difficult for patients to understand. Some also thought that they would alter what they wrote if they knew that their patient would be reading it.
Most patients loved the idea of having their notes available to see, and it made them feel more involved and in control of their care.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source: American Medical News
Power Naps in the Medical Field
A lot of medical
errors are caused when doctors and nurses are sleep deprived, so could napping be the
answer when it comes to improving certain safety problems in hospitals?
---
According to an
article on Healthland, "one study found that after 24
consecutive hours of wakefulness, people’s motor skills and judgment are as
impaired as if they had a blood alcohol level over the legal driving
limit."
When residents need rest, it might not be a bad idea for them to take a quick nap. It would help them think cleary and have a better reaction time, which could lead to less mistakes.
When residents need rest, it might not be a bad idea for them to take a quick nap. It would help them think cleary and have a better reaction time, which could lead to less mistakes.
In other studies,
sleep scientists have proven that naps as short as one hour can prevent
performance error.
Tired workers
have a higher chance of making more mistakes, thus putting patients in danger.
Power naps may be the cure to fatigued and overworked doctors and nurses.
At
Snyder & Wenner we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is
involved. We are patient safety advocates who represent patients who have been
harmed by hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously harmed or
injured from a hospital error, please contact us. The Snyder & Wenner
website can be accessed by clicking the "Patient Safety Advocates"
tab above.
Snyder
and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005Learning Patient Safety in Medical School
How can the trend of increasing mortality due to medical errors be reversed?
Workers at the National Patienty Safety Foundation are working towards reinventing the medical school curriculum, in hopes that patient safety will be taught in medical schools more effectively, and in turn reduce the death rates associated with hospital errors.
A model of education that is based on conflict resolution, mindfulness, communication, and teamwork relating to patient safety would be included.
With changing the curriculum around, clear requirements would need to be set for both terminal competencies for graduating students and with learning cultures in residency programs, as well as patient safety content needing to be included in medical textbooks and licensing exams.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source: KevinMD
Workers at the National Patienty Safety Foundation are working towards reinventing the medical school curriculum, in hopes that patient safety will be taught in medical schools more effectively, and in turn reduce the death rates associated with hospital errors.
A model of education that is based on conflict resolution, mindfulness, communication, and teamwork relating to patient safety would be included.
With changing the curriculum around, clear requirements would need to be set for both terminal competencies for graduating students and with learning cultures in residency programs, as well as patient safety content needing to be included in medical textbooks and licensing exams.
Snyder and Wenner, P.C.
602-224-0005
Source: KevinMD
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