In cases of illnesses or emergencies, patients look up to their healthcare providers for assistance. They are all dedicated to offering health solutions to those in poor health. However, some patients get well, others fail to get well. In spite of the fact that health professionals give their best services, medical errors still exist in hospitals and it they have cost lives and led to disabilities. Taking a prevention of medical errors course, therefore becomes crucial among doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians.
Some medical mistakes emanate from healthcare professionals and patients too. These faults affect patients in different ways. For instance a patient may develop a long lasting complication, family members can lose a loved one who may have been their main sole provider leading to stress and depression among affected members. Healthcare workers like doctors or nurses may contract a deadly disease such as HIV and AIDs if they make an error when carrying out a medical procedure.
Many healthcare providers have landed into legal cases following mistakes that could be prevented. The mistakes could occur in medical laboratories, surgery theatres, chemists, nursing homes, doctor assessments rooms, clinics, or in records rooms. In addition, such faults can results from the patients themselves. Most of the faults involve medicines, surgeries, diagnosis, poor communication, equipment, records, and laboratory results.
Medicine related mistakes arise from improper prescription, dispensing, administration methods, packaging errors from manufacturers, compounding, labeling, and by poor explanation of use to the patient. The patient may also fail to follow instructions when using a drug. Surgical procedures faults may occur due to carelessness when performing the processes.
The disease can progress to fatal levels especially if wrong diagnosis involves conditions of the brain, spinal cord, blood pressures, or the heart. The patient could also lead to an error. When a patient fails to mention important details such as of allergies, the doctor may prescribe a drug that may be fatal to be patient if they happen to be allergic to such medicines.
Care should be taken when using medical equipment, radiation machines such as x-rays and computed tomography scans. Magnetic resonance imaging can pose great dangers if not used by experienced radiologists. If there is poor management and carelessness, there can be cases of unsterilized surgical equipment being used, which can lead to infections and even be fatal when used for procedures.
Only skilled and experienced personnel should deal with radiological machines. Poor recording of details about patients and improper methods of getting information from patients may affect the process of treatment, which may lead to missed diagnosis and wrong medications. Thus, there is need of advanced communication skills among healthcare providers. Studying these mistakes and learning how to prevent and handle them will definitely change the standards of care.
There is need for our health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and infection control professionals to take this course to boost their knowledge and gain new skills in dealing with these errors. The training entails understanding different types of medical errors, factors that increase risks of these faults, strategies of preventing them. This way, there can be a decrease in most preventable mistakes in health facilities. It also eliminates possible lawsuits, which may arise when such faults are committed.
Some medical mistakes emanate from healthcare professionals and patients too. These faults affect patients in different ways. For instance a patient may develop a long lasting complication, family members can lose a loved one who may have been their main sole provider leading to stress and depression among affected members. Healthcare workers like doctors or nurses may contract a deadly disease such as HIV and AIDs if they make an error when carrying out a medical procedure.
Many healthcare providers have landed into legal cases following mistakes that could be prevented. The mistakes could occur in medical laboratories, surgery theatres, chemists, nursing homes, doctor assessments rooms, clinics, or in records rooms. In addition, such faults can results from the patients themselves. Most of the faults involve medicines, surgeries, diagnosis, poor communication, equipment, records, and laboratory results.
Medicine related mistakes arise from improper prescription, dispensing, administration methods, packaging errors from manufacturers, compounding, labeling, and by poor explanation of use to the patient. The patient may also fail to follow instructions when using a drug. Surgical procedures faults may occur due to carelessness when performing the processes.
The disease can progress to fatal levels especially if wrong diagnosis involves conditions of the brain, spinal cord, blood pressures, or the heart. The patient could also lead to an error. When a patient fails to mention important details such as of allergies, the doctor may prescribe a drug that may be fatal to be patient if they happen to be allergic to such medicines.
Care should be taken when using medical equipment, radiation machines such as x-rays and computed tomography scans. Magnetic resonance imaging can pose great dangers if not used by experienced radiologists. If there is poor management and carelessness, there can be cases of unsterilized surgical equipment being used, which can lead to infections and even be fatal when used for procedures.
Only skilled and experienced personnel should deal with radiological machines. Poor recording of details about patients and improper methods of getting information from patients may affect the process of treatment, which may lead to missed diagnosis and wrong medications. Thus, there is need of advanced communication skills among healthcare providers. Studying these mistakes and learning how to prevent and handle them will definitely change the standards of care.
There is need for our health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and infection control professionals to take this course to boost their knowledge and gain new skills in dealing with these errors. The training entails understanding different types of medical errors, factors that increase risks of these faults, strategies of preventing them. This way, there can be a decrease in most preventable mistakes in health facilities. It also eliminates possible lawsuits, which may arise when such faults are committed.
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