Quality Blog #2: Medical Errors

Medical errors cause many injuries and deaths each year. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, nearly 1 in 25 hospital patients are subjected to injuries caused by medical errors each year (AHRQ, 2000). The agency also estimates that 48,000-98,000 die annually from medical errors. This topic is an important one in terms of health care quality. This is true because if medical professionals are making errors that increase the infection rate in health care facilities and these errors are causing deaths, this is definitely not an example of health care quality. These deaths are preventable and health care workers have to take additional measures to ensure the health of the patient is not jeopardized due to their error. Medical errors reduce the quality of care given to patients.

The safety of the patient is essential in health care facilities. Patients are trusting health care professionals to improve their health. It makes some health care workers appear untrustworthy and incompetent when patients are becoming sicker while in the care of medical staff due to error. Both clinical and administrative have the responsibility of ensuring patients are safe and to reduce medical error. According to the AHRQ, there are steps that health care organizations can to improve the quality of care given to patients.

Some of the steps that can assist with reducing errors include investing in computer systems like Electronic Medical Records, which helps to catch errors faster than the human eye1(AHRQ, 2000). AHRQ also suggests that sending reminders for follow up tests helps with quality and reduces error. Health care organization should also establish some type of protocol to reduce errors.

This topic is really important to me because these deaths and injuries are preventable. Health care organizations have to make more attempts to reduce medical errors in an effort to increase quality. If facilities can reduce the number of injuries and deaths associated with medical errors, they are able to improve care given to patients. It is saddening when patients are subjected to injuries in a facility that is supposed to improve their health. As a future health care administrator, it is important that I take the initiative to reduce medical errors and improve quality. This is an issue that I have realized is important to me.

Reference:

Reducing Errors in Health Care: Translating Research Into Practice. AHRQ Publication No. 00-PO58, April 2000. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/errors.htm