Retail giant CVS was recently fined for troubles in its Oklahoma pharmacies—including prescription drug errors. Medications are invaluable in the practice of medicine.  Drugs can also cause inadvertent side effects or serious complications, even when used correctly.  When medications are prescribed, dispensed, or taken improperly, the outcomes can be more serious.  While some drugs are … Continued

New research shows artificial intelligence (AI) will be a powerful tool in aiding diagnosis—and preventing medical error. Delayed or missed diagnosis is a serious problem throughout the practice of medicine.  When a physician, pathologist, or radiologist fails to recognize a symptom, pattern, or blurred line in an imaging test, the results can literally be fatal … Continued

Reporting medical errors can improve healthcare safety and reduce patient harm.  How the error is reported plays a role in how effective a solution could be. A recent article in the Annals of Emergency Medicine evaluated 513 Patient Safety Net reports submitted between January and June 2019 at VCU Health in Virginia.  Patient Safety Net … Continued

A recent position paper calls out surgical practitioners and technology for contributing to distractions in surgical settings. Distraction is a part of modern medical care.  Nursing staff are routinely overwhelmed with thousands of alarms per shift.  During a surgical procedure, noise and distraction increase the likelihood that a surgical error or never event could occur. … Continued

A recent survey reveals the impact of the COVID-19 crises on Primary Care physicians.  As a result, their patients may neglect their health or lose accessible healthcare altogether. The COVID-19 pandemic has reset how we live, who we interact with, and the products and services to which we have access.  Of those, medical care has … Continued

Pregnant women who experience migraines may be at a higher risk of stroke, according to recent research. Along with the aches, pains, hunger, and nausea that sometimes accompany pregnancy, many women experience severe headaches or migraines.  Because of the hormonal fluctuations of pregnancy, women who usually get migraine headaches may be afflicted less—or more—until and … Continued

Fear of overtired medical residents may be misplaced.  A new study found that residents working 24-hour shifts don’t necessarily make more errors than colleagues working shifts of 16 hours or less. A study and opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine looks at the schedules given to medical residents and the impact of … Continued

Recent research suggests using two surgical checklists together may result in fewer medical errors and less harm to patients. Checklists are an important part of patient safety.  In a surgical setting, careful attention to checklists can reduce serious mistakes, like wrong-site or wrong person surgeries.  We recently talked about the importance of the surgical time-out … Continued