MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'errors'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:56:39 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174616&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fweaknesses-of-the-current-malpractice-system%2F2011.08.28 Medical malpractice reform is in the news again. Of course, for the medical profession, the medical malpractice system is the wound that simply will not heal. For the plaintiffs bar, in contrast, the medical liability system is the gift that keeps on giving. I have argued that the current system fails on four important fronts. Efficiency Cost Fairness Quality Improvement I admit readily that my profession has not been as diligent as it should be in holding ourselves accountable. We have not been forthright in admitting our medical errors, although can you blame us under the current medical liability construct? (more…) *This blog post was originally published at MD Whistleblower* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174616 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:30:00 +0100 5174616 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158990&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-decision-fatigue-lead-to-medical-errors%2F2011.08.26 This article adds to that understanding: Our decision-making abilities appear to be powerfully affected by the demands of repeated decision making as they interact with depleted blood glucose levels. That fatigue mounts over a day of making decisions and as blood glucose levels fall between meals. In response, we tend to either make increasingly impulsive decisions without considering the consequences or to make no decisions at all. Tierney describes a study analyzing 1,100 parole decisions by judges over the course of a year:  “Prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole about 70 percent of the time, while those who appeared late in the day were paroled less than 10 percent of the time.” The effects reported in the article were (more…) *This blog post ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158990 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:00:44 +0100 5158990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158855&cid=t_139611_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fimplementation-of-patient-safety-alerts%2F Scan or click to download 'Implementation of Patient Safety Alerts' Title: Implementation of Patient Safety Alerts The Skinny: Report from Action Against Medical Accidents into the implementation of Patient Safety Alerts by NHS Trusts. These alerts are issued by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) about known problems that have repeatedly caused harm or killed patients, and which can be avoided if the actions in the alerts are implemented. The report finds: 195 NHS trusts had not complied with at least one patient safety alert for which the deadline had already past. This is almost 50% of all NHS trusts. Of the 9 extra-urgent “Rapid Response Report” alerts issued in 2010 and which are already past the deadline for completion, not a single one has been complied ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158855 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:01:12 +0100 5158855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130660&cid=t_139611_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fkeeping-patients-safe-when-they-transfer-between-care-providers-%25e2%2580%2593-getting-the-medicines-right-good-practice-guidance-for-healthcare-professions%2F Title: Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right: Good practice guidance for healthcare professions Scan or Click to download 'Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right: Good practice guidance for healthcare professions' The Skinny: Guidance from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on the safe and effective transfer of information about patients’ medicines. The guidance contains high level core principles and responsibilities that underpin the safe transfer of information about medicines whenever a patient transfers care providers both internally within an organisation or externally, at any point in the care pathway. Publisher: Royal Pharmaceutical Society Published: 13/07/1... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130660 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:53:30 +0100 5130660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086318&cid=t_139611_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F-7lsbU-z0_s%2F I’ve just turned in a story for InformationWeek Healthcare about the new “Essentials of the U.S. Hospital IT Market, 6th Edition” report from HIMSS Analytics. That report details the progress hospitals and integrated delivery networks have made in IT over the past year and gives an update on how far along providers are according to the HIMSS Analytics EMR Adoption Model. That’s the seven-level scale (eight if you count Stage Zero) that measures adoption of various EMR components. At the top of the scale, 1 percent of nonfederal hospitals in the U.S. attained Stage 7 in 2010, meaning that the EMR served as the legal medical record for all departments, was capable of exporting patient records as Continuity of Care Documents and had data warehousing and mining in place... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086318 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:18:20 +0100 5086318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057719&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-im-afraid-for-anyone-to-enter-the-healthcare-system-ever%2F2011.07.23 Alright, I admit that the title of this post is a little dramatic. But it really does seem that most people I know socially have had a bad experience with the healthcare system lately. Take for example my friend whose 3- year-old went to the hospital for a common pediatric procedure – the little girl was overdosed on a medicine, aspirated, got pneumonia, went into respiratory distress (noticed first by her mom) and remained in the pediatric ICU for several days. The hospital staff swept the overdose under the rug, and outright denied it happened when faced with direct questioning. As outrageous as that all is, my friend chose not to pursue action against the hospital and staff for their error and behavior. She just “let it go” because no permanent harm had occurred. Anoth... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057719 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 01:18:24 +0100 5057719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036232&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fteamwork-and-good-communication-make-everything-better%2F2011.07.16 What? Just what am I talking about? Give me a minute. More and more people are telling me too often they are encountering doctors who 1) don’t look them in the eye 2) don’t listen to them 3) don’t touch them or get anywhere near them and 4) stay focused on their a) computer b) smartphone or c) iPad. More of us are saying we are “mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore” just like the character in the movie “Network” years ago. We find another doctor. I am happy to report that an increasing number of the gray haired doctors who run medical schools are agreeing with us. Doctors need to be better communicators. They need to celebrate human contact rather than devote themselves to only technology and leading edge science. The professors also want tomorrow’s doctors to ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036232 Sat, 16 Jul 2011 22:00:48 +0100 5036232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997521&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fare-sleep-deprived-medical-residents-more-likely-to-make-mistakes%2F2011.07.04 As of this writing, 5 air traffic controllers have been found asleep at the switch. By the time this piece is posted, several others may have joined the slumber party. Keep in mind, there’s a lot more snoozing in the towers than we’re aware of. We don’t know the denominator here. Our wise reactive government has recently issued orders that airport control towers must not be manned by only one individual. Somehow, prior to NappingGate, our bloated and inefficient government that is riddled with redundancy, thought that one sole guy watching the radar at night was sufficient. There are some jobs where nodding off poses no risk. Let me test my readers’ acumen on this issue. Which of the following professions would not be at risk if an unscheduled siesta occurred? A race car driver A ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997521 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4997521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921409&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fhospitals-that-make-their-data-hard-to-find.html One of the most important things to know about a hospital is how many of its patients develop infections. But hospitals often don’t release that data. To help motivate them, we put together a list of teaching hospitals that haven't made their information on infections easily accessible to the public. “The best hospitals know that sunlight is the best disinfectant, so they are willing to publicly report even if their performance is not yet optimal,” said Leah Binder, chief executive officer of The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving health care in hospitals, in part by encouraging them to report information on infections and other measures. For this analysis, we focused on hospitals that are members of the Council of Teaching Hospitals, ex... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921409 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:56:00 +0100 4921409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921411&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F06%2Fboston-beats-new-york-in-cr-hospital-ratings.html The Boston vs. New York rivalry isn’t just the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. It’s which city, each known for its prestigious hospitals, has better medical care. Well, when it comes to preventing hospital-acquired infections at least, Boston wins, according to our updated hospital Ratings. For this comparison, we looked at hospitals that are members of the Council of Teaching Hospitals (excluding Veteran Administration hospitals) that are in either the Boston hospital-referral region (Boston, Cambridge, and a few neighboring towns); or in the three New York City hospital-referral regions (the five boroughs plus certain neighboring suburbs). We looked at the two most serious kinds of infections: bloodstream infections in intensive-care units that are linked to central-line catheters... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921411 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4921411 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841477&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-review-of-the-most-common-physician-errors-in-thinking-and-judgement%2F2011.05.19 In my recent review of Peter Palmieri’s book Suffer the Children I said I would later try to cover some of the many other important issues he brings up. One of the themes in the book is the process of critical thinking and the various cognitive traps doctors fall into. I will address some of them here. This is not meant to be systematic or comprehensive, but rather a miscellany of things to think about. Some of these overlap. Diagnostic fetishes Everything is attributed to a pet diagnosis. Palmieri gives the example of a colleague of his who thinks everything from septic shock to behavior disorders are due to low levels of HDL, which he treats with high doses of niacin. There is a tendency to widen the criteria so that any collection of symptoms can be seen as evidence of the condition. ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841477 Thu, 19 May 2011 15:00:33 +0100 4841477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841483&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrlindagalloway.files.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F1031747_hospital.jpg At one time, a hospital would be called a 24-hour institution but now it’s a business. Within this business are shift workers that include nurses, technicians, clerical staff and even hospital employed doctors who are now called hospitalists.  In a teaching hospital resident physicians also work in shifts so the responsibility of patient care is always being transferred from one group of healthcare providers to another. Do they always communicate effectively? Regrettably, “no.” Sign-outs, handoffs, shift changes, nurses’ report. These are the multiple names for the process where a departing  provider is responsible for letting the arriving provider know what’s going on with the patient.  According to statistics, 80% of medical mistakes occur during shift changes and 50 to 60% ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841483 Wed, 18 May 2011 16:00:13 +0100 4841483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775481&cid=t_139611_118_f&fid=34702&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmspblog%2F%7E3%2FEH6CJjpWDsk%2F Kevin Pho, M.D. asks, ‘Should nurses be fired for fatal medication errors?’ Some may think the answer is a no-brainer, but as Kevin points out, there are often bigger issues at stake. (Source: MSSPNexus Blog) MSSPNexus Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775481 Mon, 02 May 2011 17:39:41 +0100 4775481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4744813&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fdavid-j-rothman-president-of-institute.html In one of the most bizarre statements I've ever seen from Ivy academia, David J. Rothman, president of the Institute on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia University disdains -- hates -- Dr. Marcus Welby, and blames solo practitioners for rising medical costs and medical errors for good measure.Such statements lead me to increasingly believe true scholarship no longer resides at the Ivy universities.A New York Times article today "Family Physician Can’t Give Away Solo Practice" about a hard working solo practitioner and former president of the Maryland State Medical Society, Dr. Ronald Sroka, laments the passing of the small practice and solo practitioners. The small practices and solos are being replaced by physician groups, often employed by a hospital or at a larger for-profit medic... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4744813 Sat, 23 Apr 2011 15:38:00 +0100 4744813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734100&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fquiz-dont-let-look-alikesound-alike-medication-cause-you-harm%2F2011.04.20 Imagine your mother telling you she’s starting a new pain medicine, only to learn that she ended her life three days later due to a medication error. That’s exactly what happened to Linda Sanders, a 62 year old woman who thought she was getting the pain reliever Lyrica, but she accidently got Lamictal, an antiseizure medication. The mistake was probably caused by the similarity in the two medications names. Unfortunately, suicide is a known risk associated with Lamictal therapy. Medication mistakes involving pain-relievers have consequences that range from inconvenient to potentially deadly. Why are errors fairly common and potentially serious with this group of medications? There are an estimated 75 million Americans who suffer with chronic pain, which results in a lot of prescription... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734100 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:00:17 +0100 4734100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709199&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwill-new-push-for-patient-safety-leave-consumers-in-the-dark.html Today the federal government, with much fanfare, unveiled a new plan to make health care safer that could save 60,000 lives and as much as $35 billion over the next three years. One important issue conspicuously missing from the rollout: any mention of letting patients know how things are going. Already, 500 hospitals have signed on to the effort, called Partnership for Patients, and the government is getting ready to hand out $1 billion in grants to health-care organizations to help them figure out the best ways to reduce mistakes like hospital infections, medication errors, or sloppy “discharge planning” that sends patients boomeranging back to the hospital soon after they go home. We talked to Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project, about... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709199 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:40:50 +0100 4709199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704646&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwill-new-push-for-patient-safety-leave-consumers-in-the-dark.html Today the federal government, with much fanfare, unveiled a new “Partnership for Patients” that aims to save 60,000 lives and as much as $35 billion over the next three years by making health care safer. Already, 500 hospitals have signed on to the effort, and the government is getting ready to hand out $1 billion in grants to health-care organizations to help them figure out the best ways to reduce mistakes like hospital infections, medication errors, or sloppy “discharge planning” that sends patients boomeranging back to the hospital soon after they go home. One aspect conspicuously missing from the rollout event: any mention of letting patients know how things are going. We talked to Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumer Reports’ Safe Patient Project, about... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704646 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:40:50 +0100 4704646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704648&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F04%2Fwhat-hospitals-can-learn-about-safety-from-southwest-airlines.html When Southwest Airlines recently learned that some of its planes had small cracks that could lead to gaping holes in mid-flight, it grounded the planes and ordered an independent safety review. Not perfect, maybe, but at least fast and transparent. In fact, over the past few decades the airline industry has developed a pretty good reputation for safety. I wish the same could be said for our hospitals. Unfortunately, a recent report in the journal Health Affairs suggests that there are lots of cracks even in good hospitals that can lead to gaping and potentially deadly holes in patient care. And unlike the airline industry, the study suggests that safeguards to detect and correct the cracks are inadequate. The study, by a team of researchers who have spent their careers trying to improv... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704648 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4704648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704566&cid=t_139611_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fdr-david-classen-discusses-hospital-errors-protect%2F Dr. David Classen lists nine hospital errors that may be preventable if you know what and when to ask. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704566 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:03:37 +0100 4704566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653324&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fproper-cleaning-helps-prevent-hospital-infections.html A simple cleaning protocol can sharply curtail the spread of deadly antibiotic-resistant infections in the hospital, according to a study out this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. That adds to some other simple measures previously proven to prevent hospital infections, including a checklist that emphasizes, among other things, that folks in the hospital regularly wash their hands. In the current study, researchers trained hospital staff in “enhanced” cleaning methods that involved immersing cleaning cloths in disinfectant rather than simply pouring the disinfectant over the cloths, and then shining a black-light over the area to see how effective the cleaning was. They focused on rooms where a patient had previously been infected with either methicillin-resistant ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653324 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:13:31 +0100 4653324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636625&cid=t_139611_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fmalpractice-lawsuits.html I have often wondered why some people are so quick to sue. There seem to be some who think the best resolution to a problem is to sue the person who bothers them - the neighbor who chopped down a tree that shaded their yard, the owner of the barking dog, etc. You get the point. They think someone did them wrong so therefore they must get even by filing a law suit.Then there is the issue of medical malpractice. Doctors aren't perfect and medical science is not perfect either. Sometimes things don't come out right. Maybe there is an error during the procedure - if they amputated the wrong leg, took out the wrong organ, or operated in the wrong place - those are real problems and probably deserve some kind of compensation. But then there are the expectations of the patient and the end results... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636625 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:22:00 +0100 4636625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615222&cid=t_139611_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FPH-LM6dEKO4%2F On Jan. 28, Ron Pollack, executive director of the liberal advocacy group Families USA, introduced President Obama at a Families USA event by saying, “Numerous presidents over many decades tried to secure health reform legislation that would move us toward high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans. You, Mr. President, actually achieved it.” The crowd ate it up. During the contentious debate over health reform in 2009 and 2010, countless lobbyists, pundits and politicians touted “quality healthcare” as a reason to pass the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Some called for the same “Cadillac” health plans that members of Congress provided for themselves. Many opponents of the legislation countered by saying the U.S. already has the &#... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615222 Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:10:14 +0100 4615222 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610809&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-almighty-news-release-how-they-influence-health-journalism%2F2011.03.18 A new post on the Embargo Watch blog, “The power of the press release: A tale of two fish oil-chemotherapy studies,” addresses an issue that had me running around in circles for hours last week. Some news organizations were reporting on a paper in the journal Cancer, reporting that it had been published in that day’s online edition. But it hadn’t been – not when the stories were published. Instead, all I could find was a study by the same authors on the same topic that had been published in the same journal two weeks prior. What apparently happened, as Embargo Watch surmises as well, is that many journalists simply covered what was in the journal’s news release – not what had already been published two weeks prior – which was a more impressi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610809 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:00:40 +0100 4610809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575056&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Frobotic-pharmacy-prepares-350000-doses-of-medication-without-a-single-error%2F2011.03.11 The University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) has made a significant announcement that could be a watershed moment for how medications are given to hospital patients in the United States. In a typical hospital setting, patients are receiving many different types of prescription medications — ranging from mundane vitamins to more intense drugs such as chemotherapy. In the thousands of times medications are given to patients, and with the high number of humans handling the process of organizing and giving the medications, human error is bound to occur. And medication errors can be life threatening — especially if related to a chemotherapy agent. UCSF wants to make the rate of error for medication administration to be zero. In order to do this, they are using robot technology ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575056 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:00:25 +0100 4575056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565904&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpreventing-hospital-acquired-infections-patients-must-be-safety-partners%2F2011.03.09 This is a guest post by Dr. Julia Hallisy. Serious infections are becoming more prevalent and more virulent both in our hospitals and in our communities. The numbers are staggering: 1.7 million people will suffer from a hospital-acquired infections each year and almost 100,000 will die as a result. When our late daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with an aggressive eye cancer in 1989 at five months of age, our life became consumed by doctor visits, MRI scans, radiation treatments, chemotherapy — and fear. My husband and I assumed that our fight was against the ravages of cancer, but almost eight years later we faced another life-threatening challenge we never counted on — a hospital-acquired infection. In 1997, Kate was infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRS... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565904 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:00:43 +0100 4565904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4552056&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdont-treat-the-number-treat-the-patient%2F2011.03.05 In medicine we’re often reminded not to base our therapy solely on lab test results. Although it’s tempting to reduce patient care to a checklist of “normal” bloodwork targets, we all know that this is only a fraction of the total health picture. Today I made a mistake that brought this truism home: “Don’t treat the number, treat the patient.” I’m turning 40 this year and decided to make an ambitious fitness goal for myself — to be in better shape at 40 than I was at 30. No small feat for a person who used to be in good form a decade ago (not so much now, ahem). So, I joined a gym owned by an affable triathlete and invited her to make me her project. Let’s just say that Meredith believes that one piece of sprouted grain bread is t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4552056 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:06:03 +0100 4552056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536059&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F03%2Fhospital-infections-declining-cr-analysis-and-cdc-report-suggest-preventing-hospital-infections.html Our updated analysis of hospital-acquired infections suggest that while things might not have improved much from a year ago, the trends are at least heading in the right direction. And a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mirrors that finding, showing a steady decline in some hospital infections over the past eight years. We looked at central-line infections, a particularly deadly form of infection, reported in 1,043 hospitals in 44 states plus the District of Columbia. It found that the percentage of facilities reporting no central-line infections in their intensive-care units increased slightly, from 11 percent in our March 2010 analysis to 13 percent in our current one. And among hospitals that reported in both years, the overall rate of infections... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536059 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:01:00 +0100 4536059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464455&cid=t_139611_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F11%2Fquality-and-safety-in-health-care-2009-vol-18-no-1%2F This article reviews the impact of such errors and how this compromises patient care. (Print subscription held at Fade Library) Filed under: Health and Safety, Uncategorized Tagged: Adverse Drug Events, Errors (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464455 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:16:36 +0100 4464455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4424230&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F02%2Fhospital-infections-preventing-bloodstream-infections-simple-hospital-checklist-may-save-lives.html A program that includes a simple 5-step safety checklist for preventing bloodstream infections caused by large central-line catheters in hospital intensive-care units in Michigan appears to reduce patient deaths by 10 percent, according to a report published online this week in the British Medical Journal. The research team, led by Johns Hopkins professor and patient-safety crusader Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., compared Medicare data from 95 Michigan hospitals that used the checklist program, with those from 364 hospitals in the Midwest from October 2001 to December 2006. They found that patients in Michigan hospitals were 10 percent more likely to survive their hospital stay after the implementation of Pronovost’s checklist program compared with the patients in the 11 surroundin... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4424230 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:53:26 +0100 4424230 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360979&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fphysician-burnout-depression-and-suicide-in-surgeons%2F2011.01.18 I wrote last year in USA Today about the impact of physician burnout. Not only do doctors suffer, but so do their patients. Burnout starts early in residency, with entering interns having a depression rate of 4 percent, similar to the general public. But after the first year of residency, that number balloons to 25 percent. Now another study adds fuel to this disturbing trend. A paper published in the Archives of General Surgery looks at the prevalence of physician burnout in surgeons: In a national survey, one in 16 surgeons reported contemplating suicide, researchers reported. An increased risk of suicidal ideation was linked to three factors: depression, burnout, and the perception of having made a recent major medical error … … But only about one in four of those who reported thi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360979 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:00:58 +0100 4360979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355717&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-errors-should-doctors-always-fess-up%2F2011.01.16 From the Medscape Medical Ethics article entitled “‘Some Worms Are Best Left In The Can’: Should You Hide Medical Errors?“: Consequences aside, from a strictly ethical perspective, if a patient doesn’t realize that his physician made a mistake, should the physician fess up? Before you jump to conclusions (as I did), look at the article’s three parts. It’s about a survey. The title is on the inflammatory side; the article is a window into physicians’ views. The introduction continues: Evidence of the complex prisms through which physicians view these issues was apparent in the replies to four questions asked in Medscape’s exclusive ethics survey. More than 10,000 physicians responded to the survey in 2010. Subheads: – Mistakes that don’t harm p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355717 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:00:12 +0100 4355717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4331013&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ftired-surgeons-how-long-was-the-patient-asleep%2F2011.01.10 In a recent New England Journal of Medicine, a perspective piece on what to do with fatigued surgeons is generating debate. The issue of work-hour restrictions has been a controversial issue when it comes to doctors in training, something that I wrote about earlier in the year in USA Today. But once doctors graduate and practice in the real world, there are no rules. As summarized in the WSJ’s Health Blog, the perspective piece argues for more regulation for tired surgeons: … self-regulation is not sufficient. Instead, “we recommend that institutions implement policies to minimize the likelihood of sleep deprivation before a clinician performs elective surgery and to facilitate priority rescheduling of elective procedures when a clinician is sleep-deprived,” they write. For exampl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4331013 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:00:40 +0100 4331013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322501&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2011%2F01%2Fhospital-infections-in-children-new-studies-find-concerns-for-surgery-patients-and-children.html Two studies out recently suggest that one infection is on the rise in hospitalized children, and several are increasing among patients who have to wait in the hospital for elective surgery. Gastrointestinal infections in hospitalized childrenResearchers who examined nearly 10.5 million medical records found that a particularly dangerous infection with a bacterium called clostridium difficile is on the rise in hospitalized children. The infection can inflame and damage the lining of the colon, leading to severe diarrhea. In the current study, published online in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, the infection increased the risk of repeat hospitalization, surgery to remove all or part of the colon, and death. Previous research has found the infection is also becoming... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322501 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:00:00 +0100 4322501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300690&cid=t_139611_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fscary-medical-error.html I am not being Chicken Little and saying the sky is falling but I find this quite scary. You go for a medical treatment or receive a medication, you assume they are doing it right. I mean we all hear about medical errors and we know that there is always the possibility that you might wake up with the wrong kidney. There are lots of checks in place and lots of publicity of this. The errors are usually known immediately.But what about this: you go for a pinpoint radiation treatment, it administers an overdose. You don't feel the symptoms right away but then turn into a vegetable and spend the rest of your life in a nursing home.One hospital administered the wrong dose for FIVE YEARS!!! before they figured out that the machine was calibrated wrong. What is wrong here? Lets start with better t... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300690 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +0100 4300690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265737&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmediation-for-medical-malpractice-why-doctors-should-embrace-it%2F2010.12.17 Mediation has been cited as a way to lower the cost of litigation and compensate injured patients without going through the ordeal of a trial. In a post from the WSJ Health Blog, the problem is that few doctors are participating. That’s a problem. A study from a law journal looked at 31 cases that went to mediation and found that, of those cases, 16 were settled at mediation, 5 settled afterward and 10 weren’t settled. While defense attorneys were less likely to agree to mediation than plaintiff attorneys, lawyers who did participate reported satisfaction with the process, as did “plaintiffs, hospital representatives and insurers,” the study finds. The authors write that in no cases did physicians participate in the mediation. Many times, patients resort to suing their physicians ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265737 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:00:16 +0100 4265737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245300&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F12%2Fprogress-against-deadly-infections-in-the-hospital.html Two separate research teams—one using a simple 5-step check list and the other sophisticated DNA tests (in mice)—reported progress this week against deadly bloodstream infections caused by large intravenous catheters used in hospital intensive care units. The checklist, developed by Johns Hopkins physician and patient-safety crusader Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., (see photo, at right), slashed the number of the infections in 23 Rhode Island ICUs by 74 percent, according to a study in the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care. It found that over a 2.5-year period, the list of common-sense steps that doctors should follow when using the catheters saved 10 lives, reduced ICU stays by 608 days, and saved about $2 million. Our report on hospital inspections found that the checklist, co... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245300 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:54:14 +0100 4245300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230139&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fis-healthcare-it-solution-to-wrong.html In a study published in the Nov. 25, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine entitled "Temporal Trends in Rates of Patient Harm Resulting from Medical Care", Landrigan N Engl J Med 363;22, it was found that medical error rates were not dropping:In a study of 10 North Carolina hospitals [from January 2002 through December 2007], we found that harms remain common, with little evidence of widespread improvement. Further efforts are needed to translate effective safety interventions into routine practice and to monitor health care safety over time.Unfortunately, I don't believe that the article differentiated between computerized hospitals and paper-based ones. Nor were the subject hospitals selected on the basis of computerization or non-computerization:We conducted a retrospective study of a st... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230139 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 15:46:00 +0100 4230139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4207346&cid=t_139611_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FkwHRp2N_Uqs%2F photo: Thinkstock Check out this post about keeping your doctors on their toes by Dr. Julie Silver on AOL Health. There’s been a lot of buzz lately about Dr. David Ring, a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital (where I am also on the medical staff) who publicly announced that he did the wrong operation on a patient’s left hand. Instead of doing a trigger finger surgery, he fixed her non-existent carpal tunnel “problem.” Realizing his mistake, he told her about it and did a second surgery on the left hand — the correct one. If you read about Dr. Ring’s mea culpa, you’ll note that reporters are quoting the many studies from the literature about how many mistakes doctors make. It’s interesting — and yes, a bit scary — to think a... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4207346 Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:00:52 +0100 4207346 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172052&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F11%2Fhospital-infection-rates-hospital-errors-still-common-preventing-hospital-infections.html Each month, one in seven Medicare patients whoare hospitalized suffer at least one “adverse event”. Despite a decade of media and public attention, medical errors in hospitals—including those that lead to serious harm and even death—continue an alarming rate, according to a major federal government study out this week. The study, by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that one in seven Medicare beneficiaries who are hospitalized each month suffer at least one “adverse event.” That comes to 134,000 people a month or 1.6 million a year. Of those, 15,000 people a month (180,000 a year) died as a direct result of the error or the error contributed to their death. The errors included surgical and catheter infections, drug-dosing... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172052 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:08:48 +0100 4172052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159440&cid=t_139611_136_f&fid=39026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarolinemfr.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fright-way-to-correct-error.html We all know there is the right way and a wrong way to correct an error. Back in my early years in the business world, where word processing software was just beginning, we sent out a user manual to all of 300 stores in the chain I worked for with the word 'public' embarrassingly missing the letter 'L'. It was discovered after being mailed out and we ended up making a huge joke of it and laughing at the next sales meeting. It was rather embarrassing if you think about it but nothing more. We admitted our mistake and it could not be corrected. It was done and in print and out there.A more significant error which involves harm usually deserves immediate admission and correction. So what would you expect after a surgical error? Sometimes they can't be corrected - we took out your left kidney n... Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159440 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:42:00 +0100 4159440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4018162&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBsp1PgjGtVI%2F By Michael F. CannonNo, seriously.  First Lady Michelle Obama is asking nurses to promote ObamaCare to their patients. With hundreds of thousands of medical errors occurring each year — a problem that ObamaCare does nothing to address — this is exactly what I want my nurse thinking about as she’s inserting a needle into my arm. First Lady Asks Nurses to Engage in Legislative Advocacy with Their Patients is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4018162 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:00:46 +0100 4018162 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013179&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F09%2Fnew-infection-data-from-4-new-states-40-new-hospitals.html How well does your hospital prevent infections? You might be able to find out using our Hospital Ratings. We’ve just added publicly reported data from four states, and updated hundreds of hospitals nationwide. We now have infection data on 959 hospitals in 44 states, to go along with Ratings of hospitals in other categories, such as patient Ratings of doctor and nurse communication, cleanliness, attentiveness, pain control. Our infection Ratings focus specifically on central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI)—a type of hospital-acquired infection caused by the mishandling of a type of catheter often used on patients in intensive-care units (ICU)—and compare each hospital’s infection rate to national rates for that hospital’s type of ICUs. Our hospital Ratings pull t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013179 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:43:47 +0100 4013179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003252&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F09%2Fmedical-billing-errors-minor-medical-procedure-major-billing-mistake.html Mistakes happen, but now more than ever you can’t afford the kind that end of up your medical bills. According to Medical Billing Advocates of America, a Salem, Va., group that checks bills for consumers, eight out of every 10 hospital bills it scrutinizes contain multiple medical billing errors. And no one is exempt. Recently, one of our Money bloggers went to his primary-care physician to have a shard of glass removed from his foot. He was sent to a podiatrist to have it removed, and later was overcharged hundreds of dollars for what he describes as a minor procedure involving a pliers-like tool, some antiseptic and a Band-Aid.   Read his story and our tips on how to avoid medical billing errors. Have you been a victim of a medical billing error? Tell us ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003252 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:30:40 +0100 4003252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993814&cid=t_139611_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F22%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2010-vol-304-no-11%2F This article examines whether recent experience with clinical problems provokes availability bias (overestimation of the likelihood of a diagnosis based on the ease with which it comes to mind) resulting in diagnostic errors and whether reflection (structured reanalysis of the case findings) counteracts this bias. An NHS Athens is required to access this article, alternatively contact the Library for a copy. Filed under: Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Bias, Diagnostic Errors, Professional Education, United States (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993814 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 06:24:34 +0100 3993814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987051&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F09%2Fmethicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus-mrsa-progress-against-hospital-infections.html Our work on preventing hospital infections hit home recently during a visit with a family member undergoing heart bypass surgery. A nasal swab taken on admission tested positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a leading cause of deadly hospital-acquired infections. Early detection and aggressive measures helped prevent him from getting sick, and hopefully stopped the germ from spreading. As we reported in our article on hospital infections, the recently passed legislation on health-care reform requires hospitals to publicly report infection rates starting in 2011. And we just published ratings of surgical groups that do heart bypass surgery based on, among other things, their infection rates. Still, as my family’s experience shows, battling antibiotic-resistant g... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987051 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0100 3987051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980829&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-errors-discuss-them-or-switch-doctors%2F2010.09.17 Patients won’t confront doctors if they think there’s been a mistake. They’ll just find a new doctor, even if there’d been no medical error. Researchers looked at adult visits to seven primary care practices in North Carolina during 2008. They asked patients about their perceptions of medical mistakes and how did it influence the choice to switch doctors. Of 1,697 patients, 265 (15.6 percent) reported a mistake had been made, 227 (13.4 percent) reported a wrong diagnosis, 212 (12.5 percent) reported a wrong treatment, and 239 (14.1 percent) reported changing doctors as a result. Results appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine. But anecdotes cited by patients as mistakes were often normal diagnostic or therapeutic challenges. A typical scenario might be the pa... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980829 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 04:32:24 +0100 3980829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3969018&cid=t_139611_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FZF2wgxQ0Gyk%2F If you're going to read one book this year on emergency medicine this would have to the one. Avoiding common errors in the emergency department is written by the who's-who of emergency medicine education in the United States. This book is packed full of pearls and pitfalls, and common errors to avoid when treating patient's in the emergency department (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3969018 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:33:59 +0100 3969018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946635&cid=t_139611_132_f&fid=35006&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnsaunders.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F09%2Ftrust-no-one-errors-and-irreproducibility-in-public-data%2F Just when I was beginning to despair at the state of publicly-available microarray data, someone sent me an article which…increased my despair. The article is: Deriving chemosensitivity from cell lines: Forensic bioinformatics and reproducible research in high-throughput biology (2009) Keith A. Baggerly and Kevin R. Coombes Ann. Appl. Stat. 3(4): 1309-1334 It escaped my attention last year, in part because “Annals of Applied Statistics” is not high on my journal radar. However, other bloggers did pick it up: see posts at Reproducible Research Ideas and The Endeavour. In this article, the authors examine several papers in their words “purporting to use microarray-based signatures of drug sensitivity derived from cell lines to predict patient response.” They f... What You're Doing Is Rather Desperate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946635 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:57:34 +0100 3946635 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946398&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2010%2F09%2Fcomputer-error-or-patient-centered-care.html By HERBERT MATHEWSON, MD The saga continues, but morphs from a discussion of computer error into patient-centered care (1). In my last two posts I tell my story of trying to speed up a six-hour infusion of intravenous medication by... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946398 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3946398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920839&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatient-safety-%25e2%2580%259care-you-safe%25e2%2580%259d-awareness-video%2F2010.08.31 Today [Aug 28] I’m participating in the workshop “Engaging Minority Communities in Safer Healthcare” organized by MITSS (Medically Induced Trauma Support Services), a Boston non-profit I’ve written about before. The current speaker is Lisa O’Connor, VP of Nursing at Boston Medical Center. She just showed this four-minute safety awareness video, produced by Quantros. Much of its content will be familiar to our readers here (the frequency of medical errors and hospital acquired infections), but I’m posting it because of its good, concrete, specific actions every patient should know. The part with specific actions for patients starts around 2:30. (My highlights are below.) (more…) *This blog post was originally published at e-Patients.net* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920839 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:00:51 +0100 3920839 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3907595&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F08%2Fask-president-obama-what-does-health-reform-mean-for-me.html Exciting news! We’ve just received an invitation from the White House to sit down next week for an in-person conversation with the President about the new law. But the invitation, we’re quite sure, is really meant for you, the American consumer. So here’s your chance to give us the questions you’d like President Obama to answer about the new law. Is there something you still don’t understand? Wondering when or whether your own health coverage might be affected? We’re interested in any and all suggestions. Obviously the President is a busy guy and our time with him is limited, so we probably won’t be able to make it through the whole list.  But we’ll do our best to get follow-up answers from the White House about questions that we don’t get to ask in the interview.... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3907595 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:49:18 +0100 3907595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902853&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2010%2F08%2Flife-saving-errors.html By DENNIS GRACE On March 28, 1979 the Three-Mile Island Unit-2 nuclear power plant experienced a feed system failure which prevented the steam generators from removing heat from the plant. The reactor automatically shutdown but, without the feed system to... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902853 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3902853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3833422&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgagging-orders-for-doctors%2F2010.08.07 From the article “Millions spent on doctor ‘gagging orders’ by NHS, investigation finds” in the “Health & Families” section of The Independent in London: Hospital doctors who quit their jobs are being routinely forced to sign “gagging orders” despite legislation designed to protect NHS whistleblowers, it is revealed today. Millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are being spent on contracts that deter doctors from speaking out about incompetence and mistakes in patient care. Wow. I’m not being snarky here — I really have no idea: Does this happen in the U.S? *This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3833422 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 22:00:34 +0100 3833422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3812967&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F08%2Fhospital-infections-reporting-new-rules-to-help-you-choose-a-safer-hospital.html Soon it will be easier for you to find out how well your hospital prevents certain infections. As part of the new health care reform law, the Department of Health and Human Services will require hospitals to publicly disclose several types of dangerous hospital infections. To ensure full cooperation, the government will boost Medicare payments to hospitals that go along with the new requirements. "Patients shouldn't have to worry about getting sicker with an infection they catch in the hospital, but every year nearly two million Americans do," said Lisa McGiffert, Director of Consumers Union's Safe Patient Project. "Making infection rates public is a powerful motivator for hospitals to improve care and keep patients safe."Starting in January of 2011, hospitals... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3812967 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:39:57 +0100 3812967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790703&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhospital-fined-by-osha-for-workplace-violence-violations%2F2010.07.26 From Campus Safety Magazine: DANBURY, Conn. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Danbury Hospital for failing to provide its employees with sufficient protection against workplace violence. The hospital has been fined $6,300. The announcement comes on the heels of the March 2010 attack, when nurse Andy Hull was shot three times by 86-year-old Stanley Lupienski, a patient at the hospital. Yes, $6,300 isn’t much money, I agree. But I’d imagine it’s not good for admin careers… *This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790703 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:00:43 +0100 3790703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746737&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffor-quality-patient-care-teamwork-in-medicine-is-critical%2F2010.07.12 From KevinMD’s medical blog, guest post by Toni Brayer, M.D., shares a story where a team approach in medicine is critical for quality patient care. Dr. Brayer writes: “Medicine is a team sport and it is only when the team is humming and everyone is working together that patients can have good outcomes. Hospital errors, medication errors, poor communication between doctors and nurses are prevented by adherence to protocols that everyone follows. It takes laser focus, measuring outcomes and a great deal of hard work to ensure everyone is pulling together in a hospital. The fact that these bedside nurses take the time to work on error reduction and patient safety is really amazing. Have you seen how hard nurses work? My hat is off to these dedicated caregivers.” Dr. Brayer is exactly ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746737 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:00:31 +0100 3746737 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3743537&cid=t_139611_101_f&fid=38969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheemtspot.com%2F2010%2F07%2F11%2F8-tragic-ems-behavior-flaws-to-avoid%2F In Greek tragedies, the hero typically displays some form of hamarita, also known as a “tragic flaw.” Hamlet was brooding, Othello was jealous, Macbeth was ambitious. For the most part, it is their tragic flaw that is usually the key to their undoing. When the hero ultimately falls, they tend to sow the seeds of their own demise with their respective tragic flaws. People often use the word hero when they refer to EMS caregivers. EMT’s, paramedics, firefighters, we all get the hero moniker pinned on us from time to time. I cringe at the term. Most of us are uncomfortable with it to different degrees. And, if there is any truth to our hero title, it is certainly closer to the heroes of Greek tragedy that the comic book heroes we grew up with. In other words, we all have our... The EMT Spot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3743537 Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:39:22 +0100 3743537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733078&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F07%2Fyou-can-help-prevent-hospital-infections.html Can’t find infection Ratings for your hospital? Ask them why. If you’ve used our hospital Ratings (subscribers), you know we rate hospitals based on many criteria, including patient satisfaction, its approach to chronic care, whether it follows the best infection prevention measures, and its rate of central-line infections. But sometimes we can’t rate central-line infections because a hospital refuses to make that data available. Central-line infections are an important measure. They’re dangerous, causing about 30 percent of the 99,000 estimated deaths each year related to hospital-acquired infections. And they’re almost completely preventable—but many hospitals fail to put measures in place to stop them. We have infection Ratings for 926 hospitals in 43 states, but many hospi... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733078 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:19:10 +0100 3733078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706667&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F06%2Fhospital-infections-las-vegas-dont-gamble-with-your-health-in-vegas.html A two-year investigation has found that the odds of getting safe medical care in Las Vegas hospitals aren’t as good as they should be. Reporters for the Las Vegas Sun collected a decade’s worth of billing records, as well as a government database detailing 425,000 inpatient visits. This information, they wrote, “tells a story of preventable harm, deadly infections and apparent neglect at a rate of at least one injury per day,” including 21 cases in which patients had objects left inside their bodies, 79 cases of advanced bed sores (pressure ulcers), and 475 central-line infections during 2008 and 2009.“These are events that no one can be proud of," said our own John Santa, M.D., M.P.H, director of Consumer Reports’ Health Ratings Center, in the report. "They aren’t ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706667 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:05:49 +0100 3706667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3702935&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fan-eye-exam-on-your-iphone%2F2010.06.27 Researchers at MIT have developed a method of using a basic cellphone coupled with a cheap and simple plastic device clipped onto the screen to estimate refractive errors and focal range of eyes. Because of its simplicity, and the fact that soon just about everyone will have access to a mobile phone, eye exams may become available to the whole world at little to no cost. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3702935 Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:00:24 +0100 3702935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695559&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F06%2Fpreventing-drug-errors-in-your-doctors-office-drug-safety-tips-safe-drug-use-.html Safe drug use should start in your doctor’s office with a "brown bag" review. Bring all your medicine—including over-the-counter drugs and supplements to your primary doctor once or twice a year to check for those that you no longer need, can be taken at a lower dose, duplicate other medications you take, or interact with each other in potentially dangerous ways. In addition, take these steps: Be wary of free samples. They often lack printed instructions. Plus, they may not be the best drug for your condition, just the one that a representative from the drug company left at your doctor’s office. Moreover, they’re the more expensive brand-name versions. So once the free samples run out, if you want to switch to a lower-cost generic alternative, you may have to get used t... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695559 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:28:56 +0100 3695559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3679817&cid=t_139611_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FJI8jqU2_BUM%2F           My oldest son always carries an EPI-pen (short for Epinephrine); as I have to give him three shots for his severe allergies to just about everything ‘green’.  It is a life saving drug that is used for cardiac arrest, allergic reaction, asthma attacks and emphysema patients.  Early this month the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put Epinephrine on its list of drug shortages.  The time of year couldn’t be worse – the sudden heat increases cases of difficulty breathing, cardiac arrest and even insect bites.  Hospira is currently the only manufacturer of the drug.  It is struggling to meet demand after another company stopped making it late last year.  Apparently professionals have started a back-up plan that involves mixing a vial of Epinephrine that is a hig... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3679817 Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:24:51 +0100 3679817 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641024&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-dartmouth-atlas-debate-careful-consideration-needed%2F2010.06.07 The worst-kept secret in journalism circles recently was that the New York Times was planning an article critical of the Dartmouth Atlas. Among the main points in the article: • “The mistaken belief that the Dartmouth research proves that cheaper care is better care is widespread.” • “The atlas’s hospital rankings do not take into account care that prolongs or improves lives.” • “Even Dartmouth’s claims about which hospitals and regions are cheapest may be suspect.” • “Failing to make basic data adjustments undermines the geographic variations the atlas purports to show.” The Times has also published the correspondence it had with the Dartmouth team about methodology questions. The Dartmouth team challenges each of these c... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641024 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:00:46 +0100 3641024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3635742&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-dartmouth-atlas-debate-consider-criticism-and-comments-carefully%2F2010.06.07 The worst-kept secret in journalism circles recently was that the New York Times was planning an article critical of the Dartmouth Atlas. Among the main points in the article: • “The mistaken belief that the Dartmouth research proves that cheaper care is better care is widespread.” • “The atlas’s hospital rankings do not take into account care that prolongs or improves lives.” • “Even Dartmouth’s claims about which hospitals and regions are cheapest may be suspect.” • “Failing to make basic data adjustments undermines the geographic variations the atlas purports to show.” The Times has also published the correspondence it had with the Dartmouth team about methodology questions. The Dartmouth team challenges each of these c... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3635742 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:00:46 +0100 3635742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3632269&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-errors-and-patient-safety-beware-of-the-july-effect%2F2010.06.04 From Dr. Toni Brayer at Everything Health: We medical folks have always known that July is the worst time for a patient to be admitted to the hospital. It has nothing to do with nice summer weather or staff vacations. Although it cannot be proven, we think the answer to the mystery of July hospital errors is human — yes, it’s the new interns. A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine looked at all U.S. death certificates from 1979 to 2006. They found that in teaching hospitals, on average deadly medication mistakes surged by 10 percent each July. The good news is they did not find a surge in other medical errors, including surgery or in non-teaching hospitals. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at ACP Intern... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3632269 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3632269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3471781&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Ffeds-report-rise-in-most-hospital-infections.html Know anyone who went to the hospital for a routine surgery and picked up an infection that made them much sicker than their original problem? Yesterday, the federal government finally expressed some alarm at how many preventable infections are acquired by patients in U.S. hospitals. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s annual National Healthcare Quality Report, released yesterday, showed that health care-acquired infections increased from 2008 to 2009—an 8% rise in postoperative sepsis, 4% more urinary tract infections connected with catheter use for adult surgical patients, and no improvement in the rate of bloodstream infections associated with central lines. Only the rate of postoperative pneumonia appears to be dropping—by 12%. The report outlines many other flaws in ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3471781 Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:15:00 +0100 3471781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3435046&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F04%2Fhospital-safety-6-steps-forward-8-steps-back-medical-errors-patient-safety-mrsa-hospital-infections.html Your hospital may not be as safe as you think it is. A newly released analysis of medical errors among Medicare beneficiaries has found mixed results. Overall, U.S. hospitals have made strides on cutting down six types of medical errors, but have slid backwards on eight measures. The report released this week by HealthGrades, looked at 15 types of medical mistakes affecting Medicare patients between 2006 and 2008. It found nearly one million errors affecting 908,401 Medicare patients over that span. Of the nearly 100,000 of those patients who died, the report estimates that 96,402 of those deaths "could be directly attributable to a patient safety event." That means that Medicare patients who experience such errors have a one-in-ten chance of dying, the report says. These findin... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3435046 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:13:17 +0100 3435046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3429205&cid=t_139611_101_f&fid=38969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheemtspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2F01%2Fthe-illussion-of-control%2F Part two of a two part series on scene presence. While we’re talking about scene presence, I think it’s important to bring this one up. I’ve hesitated to talk about the illusion of control on the blog even though it’s a learning point that I invariably discuss with new students on the rig in the first one or two shifts. The illusion of control is deeply applicable to learning scene presence, but, quite frankly, it contradicts something I’ve preached here on The Spot for some time. It contradicts my advice to always be authentic. When it comes to authenticity, the illusion of control is the exception to the rule. I suspect that some of my regular readers may have take issue with that. It’s OK, I’m a big boy. I can handle it. In the world of scene m... The EMT Spot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3429205 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:00:14 +0100 3429205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403892&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2010%2F03%2F24%2Fstupid-rules-written-by-stupid-people-to-punish-the-intelligent%2F In case you haven’t been f.ed in the ass by this one by your state’s controlled drug agency on this one yet, go ahead and get out the vaseline and bend over. My state’s “DEA” has announced their intentions of a new way to throw a wrench in pharmacy operations once again. As of April 1st, pharmacies can no longer add, edit, modify, change, or even WRITE on the face of a C-II prescription in my state. THE HELL YOU SAY! In the past, pharmacies could modify a few things, even on a C-II prescription. The way I remembered it was, “NAME-NAME-NAME.” We could NOT change (or add) the NAME of the patient, NAME of the drug, or NAME of the doctor. All other things could be added of omitted or edited of incorrect. This, in my opinion, is the best policy. It give... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403892 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:53:49 +0100 3403892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385397&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F20%2Fmis-expressed-lane%2F Today I’m on the Express Lane. (“12 items or less” — that ought to read “12 items or fewer”, but groceries are hardly models of grammar and punctuation.)  I’m not a “number Nazi” — if the other registers are busy, I don’t care if you’ve two dozen items; my goal is to get you checked [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385397 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:55:13 +0100 3385397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3366215&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Fundercover-boss%2F I watched Undercover Boss this evening, and I’ve decided I really like this show. They are, of course, taking hours and hours of footage and combining it together to show us something that will affect us emotionally. As a man working in an industry that finds hundreds of pharmacies gobbled up each year by bigger, I wonder if they will ever find Charlie Walgreen or “Something” Walton in the pits of their pharmacies. I’m pretty sure eyes would open and mouths would drop when, on television, Grandma and Grandpa saw Pharmacist Bob and ‘Technician’ Charlie Walgreen fill their prescriptions and doing one of the following: - Using a pill that has been dropped on floor or counter (or touching the pills with their hands — which is the same difference). Hone... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3366215 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:18 +0100 3366215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342665&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2010%2F03%2F08%2Fthe-war-continues%2F Which war you ask? Of course, the WAR BETWEEN PHARMACISTS AND CHIROPRACTORS. In honor of my chiropractor, who has been made privy to this site, I’ve made a couple funny t-shirts. We’ve had a few good conversations about beliefs, traditions, and principles of both of our professions. I’ve cited many peer-reviewed research studies. He’s cited a lot of…well…anecdotal evidence… Pharmacist 1,  Chiropractors 0 It could be worst I could be a silly CHIROPRACTOR Love, your local PHARMACIST It’s long been known that there are a few QUACK chiropractors out there, and the vast majority of chiropractors don’t trust pharmaceuticals and ESPECIALLY VACCINES/Antibiotics (other than NSAIDS/Oxicams, COX-2, and a select few other drugs). We might as well... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342665 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:27:58 +0100 3342665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3335292&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F03%2Fwould-medical-malpractice-reform-fix-our-healthcare-system.html A lot of people seem to believe that malpractice lawsuits are the main culprit behind soaring health-care costs. They argue that the direct cost of medical malpractice lawsuits, and, even more, doctors’ fear of being sued, leads to "defensive medicine,"—unnecessary tests and procedures to protect doctors from lawsuits. But would reforming our tort system, by for example, capping the amount plaintiffs can receive for pain and suffering and other jury awards, actually save enough money to control overall health care costs?Perhaps surprisingly, the evidence is that it wouldn’t. The direct cost of malpractice insurance premiums and court verdicts, plus the cost of defensive medicine, together account for less than 2 percent of overall health-care spending, according to a 2009 s... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3335292 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:13:37 +0100 3335292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3271084&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F14%2Foliver-sacks-on-humans-and-myth-making-oliver-sacks-big-think%2F From Big Think: * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see”The Interior Situation of Complex Human Feelings,” “Daniel Dennett on the Situation of our Brain,” “Dan Dennett on our Interior Situation,” “The Situation of Reason,” “The Situation of Confabulation,” “Social Psychology and the Unconscious: The Automaticity of Higher Processes,” “Jonathan Haidt on the Situation of Moral Reasoning,” “The Unconscious Situation of our Consciousness – Part IV,” and “Unconscious Situation of Choice.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3271084 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:01:16 +0100 3271084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3266902&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F02%2Fcongressmans-death-is-a-grim-reminder-of-medical-errors.html We learned earlier this week that Pennsylvania U.S. Congressman John Murtha died as a result of complications from recent gallbladder removal surgery. A few days later, it was reported that the deadly “complications” were followed by a surgical cut to his intestines that caused an infection and further complications, leading to the Congressman’s death at age 77. Our colleagues at Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project highlight the dirty truth behind many errors and infections: Many are preventable by implementing a few basic practices, such as the simple checklist advocated by surgeon Atul Gawande, M.D.  Better planning and communication when patients are discharged is another way to keep patients safer and reduce high readmission rates. It might feel like few of us ha... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3266902 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:41:28 +0100 3266902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3231475&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2010%2F02%2Fhospital-infections-to-find-the-best-hospitals-data-needs-to-be-publicly-available-how-to-be-a-safe-.html My mother used to say you don’t know what worry means until you have a child. One dreary day in 1999 my husband and I learned how right Mom was when we had to hospitalize our infant for "minor" surgery, and the anxiety was unlike anything we’d ever suffered. Of course we worried about the big hazards, like a surgery mishap. But we also worried about the smaller mistakes like a nurse forgetting to wash his hands or the anesthesiologist miscalculating the dose. Unfortunately, we weren’t just paranoid new parents. Not only are mistakes like these commonplace, they’re much more likely in some hospitals than others. And if you choose a hospital that performs poorly, you put yourself at much higher risk. We had no way of knowing whether we picked a hospital prone to such mista... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3231475 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:53:23 +0100 3231475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204887&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2010%2F01%2F24%2Fsaturdays-suck%2F I’m lucky that I don’t have to work weekends on a consistent basis, but I do get the pleasure of working every 4th Saturday. What sucks about Saturdays? Nearly everything. - I have to work 11 hours as the lone pharmacist. - I get no lunch break. I sneak back to our little office and swallow a sandwich whole. I usually get interrupted 2-3 times to check in-store prescriptions or answer an old person’s call — they usually just have refill numbers of course! - The technicians scheduled are all my part-time HS/College kids — meaning they know the most basic of tasks in the pharmacy and on the computer system. So, I type almost all prescriptions AS WELL AS check them. At least they count, right? - We run two shifts of techs. They switch out at the lunch hour. - We ... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204887 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:57:49 +0100 3204887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105017&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F12%2F13%2Fall-things-being-equal%2F Prereading for this post:   Walgreens has POWER (80 COMMENTS!) I was going through some server logs and discovered something. This tid bit of information was shocking to me. The above post/link was and is being heavily monitored by Walgreens themselves. As you know, the bottom of each post I type has two links these days. One allows you to email a post to a friend using my server’s resources. The other link opens a printable copy of the post along with links and annotations. The email function is heavily used across the entire site — very heavily used…and it is also logged for security purposes. Today is the first day I’ve looked at said log since implementing the function and verifying it worked eons ago. It’s been used by a plethora of people. From student... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105017 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:00:47 +0100 3105017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3036932&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fburnt-out-depressed-surgeons-need-help%2F Depression affects job performance – that’s been known for a while now. Burn out does as well. When the worker is not involved in keeping humans safe and healthy, this can be costly to the employer and frustrating to coworkers, but when the worker is a doctor, much more is at risk. It isn’t hard to imagine doctors getting burned out or depressed. They usually see people at their worst and their most vulnerable. The responsibilities on a doctor can become overwhelming. Surgeons, for example, have to make split second decisions sometimes as their patients lie open, literally, in front of them. Mistakes by an accountant may cost someone a lot of money, mistakes by a surgeon can cost someone their life. Considering that many errors do occur in a hospital, from the nurses to t... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3036932 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:13:29 +0100 3036932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012476&cid=t_139611_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fmagic-answer Every good geek (and Google) knows that the answer to life and everything is 42.  This is a famous line from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But it seems like there is a more sensible magic answer: In order for things to go well, there needs to be a high level of specification. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012476 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:43:34 +0100 3012476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3003758&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F11%2Fpreventable-hospital-infections-to-err-is-human-but-to-delay-is-deadly-safe-patient-project-webcast.html Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released To Err is Human, reporting that as many as 98,000 Americans die every year from preventable medical errors. Today, on the report’s 10-year-anniversary, Consumer’s Union Safe Patient Project is hosting a forum in Washington, DC to call attention to the fact that today, we’re no safer that we were 10 years ago and to draw attention to their report To Err is Human – To Delay is Deadly which estimates that preventable medical harm still accounts for over 100,000 deaths each year. The event will be attended by prominent patient safety leaders to discuss what needs to happen to keep patients safe, including former U.S. Treasury Secretary, Paul O’Neill, who wrote a recent op-ed in the New York Times on medical harm; Arthur Levin,... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3003758 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:49:48 +0100 3003758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2970235&cid=t_139611_101_f&fid=38969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheemtspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2F07%2Fthe-c-spine-immobilization-controversy%2F C-spine immobilization is not a benign procedure. It’s not something that’s always worth doing “just in case.” It’s not risk free, comfortable or even practical. And, now, recent research from the Washington University School of Medicine suggests that it may not even do such a good job of keeping the patient’s head still. Does anyone else agree that we’ve seen enough bad news about c-spine now that we can stop the massive overuse that plagues our industry? Can we start evaluating people and deciding who does and doesn’t meet criteria for spinal immobilization. Please?        Consider that c-spine: Increases aspiration risk Makes airway management more difficult Increases intracranial pressure Increases the of pressure sores Is expensi... The EMT Spot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2970235 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:00:18 +0100 2970235 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105022&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F11%2F07%2F1221%2F Two weeks ago I promised something big and failed to produce it. Sorry about that. So, where the hell have I been the last two months? I’ve been just focusing on living my life. Everything’s fine with me. The stresses of my job are monumental, and it is getting the best of me. I cannot take it much longer. Retail pharmacy has defeated me. I’m throwing the towel in. I’m tapping out…. I’m not quitting my job just yet, but I am looking for something else. This is evident based on the post I made two months ago concerning clinical positions and residencies. I’d really like a clinical job coupled with a taste of academia. As has become evident, that is highly unlikely. I may find myself in a residency. For now, I have requested a transfer out of my curr... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105022 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:51:05 +0100 3105022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2894500&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F10%2Fadd-adhd-symptoms-in-children-medications-test-treatment-drugs.html An 11-year-old boy I’ll call Joseph was brought to my office by his concerned parents. He was throwing fits every morning because he hated to go to school. As a psychologist with a part-time practice assessing attention and emotional disorders, my first thought was that Joseph’s refusal to go to school might be related to either separation anxiety or a behavior disorder. But as I questioned the parents, I learned that Joseph didn’t have trouble separating from his parents when it was time for his soccer games or to play with his friends. In general he was a well-behaved, compliant boy who, except for school refusal, showed no signs of defiant behavior. On further questioning, the father revealed that he himself had some trouble with reading and often lost interest in activities at ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2894500 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:00:00 +0100 2894500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2859059&cid=t_139611_136_f&fid=39025&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Feverythingchangesbook%2F%7E3%2FbZuM_He_e4Y%2Fhealthcare-frustration My hospital is around the corner from Gucci, Coach, and the Apple Store.  (Sw. huh?)  I’m sure sneaky shoppers try to park in the hospital garage at patient rates.  It’s the front desk staff’s job to make sure they don’t. A few years back, I had a particularly horrible post-surgery appointment: The doctor was great but the news was bad.  It took three hours and involved an unexpected and painful biopsy of newly found tumors.  The doc explained why the samples looked extremely suspicious of cancerous. Shannon and I were crushed, our minds fried, our bodies exhausted.  We waited in line for the elevators, made it down to the lobby, and waited in another line for parking validation.  “I can’t do your ticket.  I need to see that you were at a doctor’s office.  Go upstair... Everything Changes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2859059 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:10:12 +0100 2859059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105023&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F09%2F21%2Fpick-2-pharmacy%2F The question every person should be asked prior to getting a prescription filled. голова болит секс голова болит секс голова болит секс голова болит секс (Source: The Angriest Pharmacist) The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105023 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:05:03 +0100 3105023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803946&cid=t_139611_105_f&fid=38964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdrwes.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Ffour-digits.html It came across my pager (names changed, of course):"Please call Sally 3050 re: Ms. Smith"I called:"This is OB/GYN, may I help you?""May I speak with Sally, please?""I'm sorry, there's no Sally here.""Thanks, I'll try Hospital #2"So the call is made. This time, no answer. So I call the Operator:"Operator, how may I help you.""Yes, can you tell me where extension 3050 is?""Um, looks like OB/GYN.""Whaaaat?" (My mind raced. Who did I see on the OB service??? I had no clue.)"Um, sorry, I already called them. They didn't know anyone there by the name of Sally."Operator: "Would you like me to connect you with Hospital #3, maybe they have that extension.""Yes, please."And so I was connected. It rings and rings and rings. Once again, no answer.At this point I've spent way too much time attempting t... Dr. Wes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803946 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:46:00 +0100 2803946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2745481&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fcannot-get-away-from-medical.html In "This informaticist can't escape clinical IT issues even on personal business", I observed that I encountered HIT informational issues even in my own family matters, when least expecting them. I've had a few incidents since then, generally each time I've taken relatives to the hospital as a medical advocate.It seems every time I step into a hospital as a medical advocate such issues arise, whether they be complaints from staff about IT, my mother being prescribed an IV antibiotic in the ED that an hour before I'd told the intake nurse she was severely allergic to, that fact being dutifully entered into the EHR - or as in the case below, outright errors regarding surgical procedures.Either medical information errors follow me around, or they are more common than I realize, because I just... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2745481 Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:28:00 +0100 2745481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2716029&cid=t_139611_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F6T0CFfGv18Q%2F I hear of so many people who were either given the wrong medication or had a medical professional treat them poorly. When they tried to speak up, they were shut down. I’ve had this happen myself. You’re sick, oftentimes on medication, and yet to have to remain alert because the people helping care for you either don’t care or aren’t aware of what you need. A new article on CNN said that as many as “98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as a result of medical errors.” CNN asked nurses what they would advice to patients on having a stay that is healthy. They reiterated that if something doesn’t seem right, you should speak up. Again, while I agree with this advice, it doesn’t always work. You’ll get shut down by the hospitals wor... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2716029 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:19:22 +0100 2716029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712041&cid=t_139611_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F18%2Fpayment-by-results-pbr-data-assurance-framework-clinical-coding-audit-200809-north-west-results%2F Title: Payment by Results (PbR) Data Assurance Framework clinical coding audit 2008/09: North West Results The Skinny: Payment by Results (PbR) Data Assurance Framework clinical coding audit undertaken during 2008/09 by the Audit Commission to help both commissioners and providers decide if the controls over the accuracy of their activity data are adequate, and highlights areas of concern that they may wish to investigate further. Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (RBS) PbR results 2008/09 Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RXL) PbR results 2008/09 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RW3) PbR results 2008/09 The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (RBV) PbR results 2008/09 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Foundation Trust (REN)... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712041 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:34:40 +0100 2712041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2691437&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=38113&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.consumerreports.org%2Fhealth%2F2009%2F08%2Fyou-never-know-whats-coming-for-ya.html I finally saw the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button this weekend and woke to a bright morning thinking the movie’s refrain “You never know what’s coming for ya.” So I was primed for the unexpected as I read the troubling content on Dead By Mistake, a site that features the results of a Hearst investigative report on medical errors. The site’s most compelling feature is the set of 30 profiles and heart wrenching photos of lives lost unexpectedly under circumstances that certainly seemed preventable. This new content echoes the report we released in May as part of our Safe Patient Project.  Our report, To Err is Human—To Delay is Deadly, looks at specific infection-preventing practices state by state and the status of legislation to make hospital ... Consumer Reports Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2691437 Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:21:19 +0100 2691437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3105031&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F07%2F16%2Fforgive-me-for-not-being-quiet%2F Michael Jackson got a moment of silence in Congress for dying. He sold records, made music, and made people happy. He was an accused child molester. While never convicted, he did settle CIVIL cases out of court (which is all but admitting guilt when it comes to child molestation, am I right?). My cousin Brian was 19 years old. He was killed three days ago in Iraq by what the military has dubbed an “IED.” [Improvised Exploding Device] This is called newspeak, and it’s the government’s way to change the way a word makes us feel (and our response) — it’s propaganda and manipulation of the public to alter our thoughts, perceptions, and maybe even our ideals without us even knowing. They want to make it seem not as bad — not as harsh. Now, read it again... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3105031 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:23:51 +0100 3105031 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2513330&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadianmedicinenews.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fwhats-in-news-jun-17-quebec-breast.html Lawsuit over Quebec breast cancer test scandalA request has been filed to begin a class-action lawsuit against the province of Quebec over the breast cancer testing problems that were recently brought to light. The request was made by breast cancer patient and community organizer Marianne Tonnelier, who described the government's handling of the news that as many as 20% of breast cancer hormone tests could be flawed as "offensive" and "reckless." [Globe and Mail]Earlier this month, Health Minister Dr Yves Bolduc (right) took the advice of a panel of experts he had convened and announced the province would re-do 2,100 tests to make sure no patients were being treated incorrectly. [Canadian Medicine]Isotope shortage felt across CanadaUp to 12,000 Quebec patients have had their cardiac and ca... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2513330 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0100 2513330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2453245&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadianmedicinenews.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fwhats-in-news-jun-5-feds-buy-heroin-for.html Gov't funds free-heroin clinic in VancouverHealth Canada gave its approval to a research clinic in Vancouver that goes well beyond the mandate of the controversial safe-injection Insite clinic: this new one will distribute free heroin to addicts. The research project is called SALOME and is a follow-up to NAOMI. [Globe and Mail] [All Headline News]In related news, the Ontario Press Council dismissed a complaint made by Drs Thomas Kerr and Evan Wood -- two BC scholars who have been among the leading researchers in the world on the effects safe-injection clinics have on HIV/AIDS rates -- against The Globe and Mail for a column by Margaret Wente that they felt impugned their reputations as researchers. [Canadian Press]Quebec will re-do 2100 breast cancer pathology testsActing on the recommend... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2453245 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0100 2453245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2453247&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadianmedicinenews.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fwhats-in-news-jun-3-mr-layton-goes-to.html Layton pitches health reform in USNDP leader Jack Layton is in Washington, DC, this week to talk to Obama administration officials and American audiences about how to implement a universal healthcare system. "We know the Americans can't just simply adopt our model, walk it across the border and put it in place," he said. "But the principles of universality, of access and of insuring that health care's available to everybody, those kinds of principles are very much motivating the Obama administration."American adoption of universal healthcare would dissuade some of Canada's healthcare critics, like former CMA president Dr Brian Day, said Mr Layton (left). "If Obama succeeds, it helps us hang onto our public health care system because they're [proponents of privatization] always chipping awa... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2453247 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:00:00 +0100 2453247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447681&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F02%2Fbob%2F “Eek, a bee!” yelped the little girl as her mother paid for some flowers at the nursery register. “Oh, that’s just Bob; he can’t sting you.  He’s a carpenter bee.” I explained, holding an open hand up toward where Bob was doing loop-de-loops.  But my repeated explanations aside, most people were not buying Bob’s reported status [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447681 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:44:03 +0100 2447681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2447572&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F05%2F31%2Fmedical-assistant-stupid-pharmacist-not%2F Quick post today. Answered the phone today and it was a “nurse for Dr. Sayed.” “Oh really?” [Knowing she wasn't a nurse] “What’s your name?” [Linda] “And are you an RN or LPN?” “Welll, I guess I’m just an M.A. - I’m in nursing school though” “Guess? … Okay then - on your way. What do we need today?” [I didn't go for the kill and say, 'So you're NOT a nurse then are you?' -- She knew she was beaten] “Jeff Gordon, birthday is 8/4/1971, needs his Cozaar 20mg refilled. Directions are 1 po daily. And give him 2 additional refills.” [Most of you already see the problem. I wrote it exactly like this. My brain was shut off momentarily as I enjoyed my flawless victory from moments earlier.] ... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2447572 Sun, 31 May 2009 22:10:05 +0100 2447572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405564&cid=t_139611_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2009%2F05%2F12%2Fbeware-of-errors-on-test-or-demo-emr-system%2F I’m sure that many of my readers have experienced the awkwardness of an error happening during the demo or training of an EMR system. I’ve been on both sides of the fence (watching or doing a demo) and let’s just say it’s really uncomfortable for both sides. Those that have experienced it know that the most common explanation for the error is “This is the demo system and so we haven’t finished setting everything up.” Or in the case of the training system, “This is the training system and so with all of the people training on this system it has some errors from those training on it.” In some cases, this is completely true. When I’m training my staff for an update to our EMR software, there has been a number of occasions where I was... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405564 Tue, 12 May 2009 22:39:28 +0100 2405564 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405247&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F05%2F12%2F1-to-6-of-10-things-your-pharmacist-wont-tell-you%2F BlueTech shared this article with me. I’m going to respond to each point, and I might even add a few at the end. Update (5/14/09@0055): Yahoo! must have seen the amount of hits pouring from my site to the above link and removed the article. (Or perhaps I think too highly of myself and there’s just an error). Fortunately, Google allows nothing to disappear permanently. http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/ten-things-your-pharmacist-wont-tell-you-3937/ (I believe this to be the site of origin anyway. There are some comments on this page that hints at original publication in the Wall Street Journal. I HIGHLY doubt that it ran in the print version, but the website, SmartMoney.com is a part of the WSJ.com “Digital Network.” Wow…. 1. “I’m overworked ... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405247 Tue, 12 May 2009 06:24:17 +0100 2405247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353831&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F04%2F21%2Fsave-us-all%2F I’m all for accountability and consequences of negligence….but…federal-pound-me-in-the-ass prison? http://www.pjonline.com/news/former_locum_handed_suspended_jail_term_for_dispensing_error Sound off…I will respond as able. Dealing with new house and medical problems. (Source: The Angriest Pharmacist) The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353831 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:49:44 +0100 2353831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348731&cid=t_139611_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fbuilding-clinical-case-electronic-health-records In previous articles we have introduced several steps which are critical to optimizing the successful implementation of electronic health records. Part of this process necessitates buy-in from organizational leadership (e.g. Board and senior administration) followed by clinical staff and other organizational membership. (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348731 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:05:21 +0100 2348731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2341976&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcanadianmedicine.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Fwhats-in-news-apr-9-newfoundland-cancer.html "They should be shot over there"Will it never cease? The controversy continues over breast cancer hormone testing pathology errors in Newfoundland, as Eastern Health authority announced it had identified 43 more patient records that would qualify for retesting -- except that only 16 of those patients are still alive. [CBC News]"It's disgraceful. They should be shot over there," said Premier Danny Williams, referring to the Eastern Health management. "They've learned absolutely nothing." [CBC News]Health Minister Ross Wiseman, who has faced calls for him to resign since the testing scandal emerged, said he will not accept any more mistakes from Eastern Health. "We're bringing in some outside resources to provide the necessary education to those individuals who'll be dealing with the disclos... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2341976 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:31:00 +0100 2341976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349850&cid=t_139611_155_f&fid=38406&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FThe1xObjective%2F%7E3%2FV_mPX84C0cc%2F http://oncopathology.blogspot.com/2009/03/errors-in-surgical-pathology.html Catch the rest of the story after the break... (Source: The 1x Objective) The 1x Objective blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349850 Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:51:59 +0100 2349850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313481&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F01%2Fthe-very-model-of-a-social-disability%2F BayDisability has begun blogging about prosopagnosia, and how it affects her life.  Because hers is an acquired case, it has affected her profoundly.  (Amazingly, it’s not some strange story she came up with to create “lesbian drama”! Oy.) I have to say that from the self-reports I’ve read, faceblindness due to injury is much more disabling [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313481 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:37:06 +0100 2313481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3416375&cid=t_139611_155_f&fid=38410&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FOncopathology%2F%7E3%2FDu9iU8PZ0QU%2Ferrors-in-surgical-pathology.html Errors in Anatomic PathologyExtracts of the interview with Dr. Stephen Raab, Professor of Pathology, Vice-Chair for Quality and Director of Anatomic Pathology at the University of Colorado, Denver.Q: How many errors have been reported to date ? Dr. Raab: There are now more than 25,000 errors in the database. Q: What are some area for quality improvement in anatomic pathology?Dr. Raab: Quality improvement is more effective if there are simultaneous efforts to improve quality in specimen collection, laboratory processing, and pathologist interpretation, rather than just focusing on error in pathology interpretation. Q: Error detection is critical to quality improvement. How are errors usually detected in anatomic pathology?Dr. Raab: The two most common methods of error detection are... Oncopathology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3416375 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:14:00 +0100 3416375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2188077&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F14%2Ffor-the-first-time-in-28-years%2F I have not bought a Valentine’s present for my husband. I am divorcing him. Disabilities can change how the processes of falling in love, joining, living together, loving together, and separating happen. For most disabled people, their disabilities affect how others perceive them as even being interested or capable to find love or sex. (WTF?!) For many disabled [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2188077 Sat, 14 Feb 2009 19:07:09 +0100 2188077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2182897&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F02%2F12%2Fbe-nice%2F Each day, I get at least one email from a person who has been screwed over, insulted, or infuriated by a pharmacy, pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or the services they were provided. These people, bless ‘em, just want me to fix it for them. I, of course, can’t. These people, bless ‘em, just want me to give them some advice. This, I can do. Here is that advice: DO   *NOT*  BE   A   PRICK! I cannot tell you how imporant this is. I cannot overstress how far this will get you. Regardless of who is at fault, if you are an asshole just because you can, you will get f.ing nowhere. This is an intrinsic problem with citizens of the United States. For whatever reason, they have the words, “the customer is always right,” ingrained into their little pea-brains. Un... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2182897 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:50:09 +0100 2182897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2182368&cid=t_139611_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2009%2F02%2F11%2Fobamas-assumptions-related-to-health-care-it-investment%2F I’ve been thinking a lot about the legislation that’s about to hit the fan in regards to investment in healthcare IT and in particular EHR and EMR softare. My biggest fear in this whole process is that the underlying assumptions being made will turn out to be wrong. The following is a list of assumptions I’ve seen made in regards to the government’s investment in healthcare IT and EHR and its possible benefits. I’ll also offer a few comments on each assumption for people to consider. Cost savings - The largest savings I’ve seen a medical practice receive from EHR implementation is in saved transcription costs. There’s some small savings from charting supplies and the like. Otherwise, where are the cost savings occurring? My guess is that if you pol... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2182368 Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:24:15 +0100 2182368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2163707&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F02%2F06%2Fzazzle-the-final-word%2F You guys know me — I always get the final word: http://www.tinyurl.com/ZazzleShirt If you don’t understand the shirt, read the entire story here: http://tinyurl.com/ZazzleGate And for my final trick — I scored all my readers a discount. For free shipping on my shirts, add the following Promocode to your order: 09SHIPTHANKS My ProductGallery (Featuring T-Shirts, Mousepads, and an awesome tie): http://tinyurl.com/ZazzleStore (Source: The Angriest Pharmacist) The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2163707 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:55:52 +0100 2163707 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2152892&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F02%2Fwhen-we-detect-possible-vioxx-moment.html I recently read the article "Clinical Information Technologies and Inpatient Outcomes" , Archives of Internal Medicine 169(2), Jan. 26, 2009 and found it fascinating. Full text is available as of this writing at this link .The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of urban hospitals in Texas using a "Clinical Information Technology Assessment Tool" (CITAT), a questionnaire designed to measure a hospital’s level of automation based on physicians' reported interactions with actual information systems.They then examined whether greater automation of hospital information was associated with reduced rates of inpatient mortality, complications, costs, and length of stay for 167,000 patients older than 50 years admitted to responding hospitals between Dec. 1, 2005, and May 30, 2006.Here is ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2152892 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:14:00 +0100 2152892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2134826&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2009%2F01%2F27%2Fi-apologize-to-my-subscribers%2F Dear Angriest Subscribers (those of you that receive my emailed post notifications) — I am so sorry. I apologize for getting you tangled up in what I have declared ZAZZLEGATE. All I wanted to do was ensure that more people were able to view the “Angriest Store” and receive updates on when I create new shirts. As you can see on the right, there are, as of right now, there are 266 of you. I let my guard down. I stopped being cynical for one moment. That moment allowed an inept online retailer do something so stupid, so brainless, so inconsiderate that it has essentially compromised all of your email addresses. I exported the email addresses out of my database (where they are very much secure) to my computer. I then formatted them into a CSV and put them into a specific form... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2134826 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:48:08 +0100 2134826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110648&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D5883 Eight hospitals reduced the number of deaths from surgery by more than 40% by using a checklist that helps doctors and nurses avoid errors, according to a report released online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.read more | digg story Do your surgical teams use checklists? from the Malaysian Medical Resources Study: Surgeons could save lives, $20B by using checklist (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110648 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2110648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2107913&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcanadianmedicine.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F01%2Fcanada-finally-getting-around-to.html The adoption of the incredibly simple World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist reduced the number of deaths by nearly half and cut medical errors by 43%, reported researchers from Toronto and seven other cities around the world in a new study published online yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Though prior studies have shown similar results, albeit on smaller scales, researchers hope their findings can spur uptake of similar checklists."I would not undergo surgery unless I knew the checklist was being done," Dr Bryce Taylor, the University Health Network's chief surgeon and one of the NEJM study's coauthors, told The Globe and Mail. The Canadian portion of the research was conducted at the UHN's Toronto General Hospital.Just last year, Canadian reporter Graham Lan... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2107913 Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:46:00 +0100 2107913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2097954&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F13%2Fyou-just-dont-get-it%2F A few summers ago, right in the middle of my graduate programme, I was hit with Mono and Lyme. Taking a shower was exhausting. I kept falling asleep in statistics classes, and in the lab where I tried to work. Putting thoughts together in any of my research analysis or writing, or even learning new [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2097954 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:12:11 +0100 2097954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2074301&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F03%2Fwith-a-price-tag-like-that-you-know-its-whats-best%2F Would you pay more for name-brand headache medicine than the generic or store brand?  If your budget is like mine, probably not; after all, the tablets are the same, it’s just the packaging that’s different. But on the flip side, what if your favorite practitioner recommends an expensive treatment that will help you or your loved [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2074301 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:57:02 +0100 2074301 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1990887&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F26%2F4-stages-you-dont-have-to-go-through%2F A recent article landed in my Google news aggregater, “Child’s Autism Diagnosis: 4 Stages You Will Go Through”.  Unfortunately, for all of its cheery helpfulness, it still manages to perpetuate some common stereotypes and misconceptions about disabilities: When you hear that your child has been diagnosed with autism, the worst thoughts come to your mind. You [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1990887 Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:24:04 +0100 1990887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1970903&cid=t_139611_147_f&fid=38117&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engageinhealth.com%2F2008%2F11%2Ftelling_the_transparency_story.html Following up on my last post, two recent online posts by Paul Levy of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center touch on the challenges of communicating about transparency. On The Health Care Blog, he describes his surgical staff’s enthusiastic response to a new checklist developed to prevent “never” events such as wrong-site surgery. Then, in his own blog, he talks about an intern candidate who asks about BIDMC’s “bad press,” which the interviewer seized as an opportunity to promote the hospital’s quality improvement efforts. Reader comments include a discussion about how realistic this scenario is, given the way doctors are trained (i.e., don’t question the people above you). This addresses one of the central challenges of transparency. In a large, hierarchical organizati... The Health Engagement Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1970903 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:04:54 +0100 1970903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1940958&cid=t_139611_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F07%2Fdecision-making-and-cognitive-psychology-iii%2F OK, I said yesterday that I’d discuss debiasing, and I didn’t - so I will today! Firstly, researchers have identified that ‘experts’ are typically over confident about their decisions. (Henrion & Fischhoff, 1986) One solution has been to ‘motivate’ clinicians to be accountable for their decisions, for example, by providing them with a total capped budget for treating all the patients in their area. The reasoning is that poor decisions will be less likely to be made if an error costs. Schwab finds three problems arising from this argument - 1. Methods that increase cognitive effort are useful only when the original decisions were made in a superficial way. 2. Accountability can actually exacerbate biases when judgments are based on the wrong informat... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1940958 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:29:29 +0100 1940958 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1941030&cid=t_139611_147_f&fid=38117&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engageinhealth.com%2F2008%2F11%2Fwhy_its_good_to_talk_about_bad_things.html The Boston Globe recently covered Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s efforts to be completely transparent about medical errors. Hospital CEO Paul Levy has embraced transparency, publishing quarterly reports on preventable errors and immediately releasing information about major medical errors (such as this one about a wrong-side surgery). The article has prompted new discussion from Dr. Levy on his blog about why transparency is necessary and how it can improve patient care. A major concern is that people will hear about errors at BIDMC and mistakenly think the hospital has more problems than the many hospitals that remain quiet. Bob Wachter on the Health Care Blog talks about the need to educate the media in order to help them and their audiences understand that more error reporti... The Health Engagement Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1941030 Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:46:50 +0100 1941030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1915408&cid=t_139611_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F434323409%2F Welcome to the first edition of MetaCarnival: a Carnival of Carnivals (announced here), the new, monthly, and interdisciplinary gathering of blogs and blog carnivals. Let's picture all participants in the shadow of an expansive sycamore tree, conducting a lively Q&A lunch discussion. General Advice Q: What would you recommend to live as long as possible, and as healthy as possible? - Hourglass (biology of aging): Try Not To Stab Yourself Repeatedly. Or smoke. Or eat that much fast food...you get the idea.  "The vast majority of people are quite comfortable engaging in habits that cause great harm to the old person they will one day be, cutting off years or even decades of health." Q: Can blogging help, too? - I and the Bird (birds): Indeed. Just read about these life-ch... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1915408 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:05:43 +0100 1915408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1848113&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcanadianmedicine.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fgoudge-report-gets-harsh-reviews-from.html Within 24 hours of the release of the Goudge inquiry's report on pediatric forensic pathology in Ontario, a number of complaints have already surfaced about certain aspects of the commission's work.THE WRONGFULLY ACCUSEDWilliam Mullins-Johnson, of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, has been the most high-profile of the province's false conviction cases over the past two decades. He was jailed in 1993 for the rape and murder of his niece, until, in 2005, a review of the original investigation by the pathologist on the case, Dr Charles Smith, revealed that the girl had not been murdered or raped, and Mr Mullins-Johnson was released on bail, and acquitted in 2007. Justice Stephen Goudge's report yesterday didn't go for enough, in Mr Mullins-Johnson's opinion. A Canadian Press article reported:While th... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1848113 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:10:00 +0100 1848113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1845088&cid=t_139611_154_f&fid=35946&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcanadianmedicine.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fontarios-goudge-inquiry-report-calls.html With public confidence shaken by wrongful convictions and scandal, Ontario’s pediatric forensic pathology system is in need of major reforms, says the public inquiry’s report, issued on Wednesday.The report produced by the inquiry’s commissioner, Justice Stephen Goudge (right), recommends 169 changes to remodel the province's approach to dealing with child homicide investigations."These changes are necessary if public confidence in pediatric forensic pathology and its future use in the criminal justice system is to be restored and enhanced," writes Justice Goudge.In the 1,170-page report, Justice Goudge dissects how the existing system failed in the 1980s and 90s, ultimately leading to the much-publicized wrongful convictions that relied on the expert witness testimony of Dr Charles ... Canadian Medicine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1845088 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:04:00 +0100 1845088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1769870&cid=t_139611_86_f&fid=37886&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjoygraham.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F09%2Fdrug-error-finder.html This just in from the U.S. Pharmacopeia people:"As a service to healthcare practitioners, industry, consumers, and others, USP has developed a free tool for accessing drug names that have been identified with a medication error. USP's Drug Error Finder allows a user to search more than 1,400 drugs involved in look–alike and/or sound–alike errors. It not only lists the other drugs involved in a mix–up, but also designates the severity of the error where at least one report was received through USP's Reporting Programs. Use USP's Drug Error Finder*." (Source: Barnett-Briggs Unfiltered) Barnett-Briggs Unfiltered blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1769870 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:02:00 +0100 1769870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1692208&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F08%2F09%2Fnot-flapping-my-lips%2F (”Flapping one’s lips” is American slang meaning to stand around talking, usually about nothing important, or gossiping, e.g., the disdainful address, “Don’t you just be standing around there flappin’ your lips.” ) “All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” ~Edmund Burke “It is very tempting to take the side of [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692208 Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:08:23 +0100 1692208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1692383&cid=t_139611_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F359526569%2F Three years ago, Johnson & Johnson changed the name of its Alzheimer’s drug Reminyl after it was confused with a diabetes med, Amaryl. Mix-ups were linked to two deaths and serious health problems. Changing the name of a drug already on the market is unusual, but the case highlights a growing dilemma that similar names can lead to medication errors, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports. “This is a very urgent problem,” Diane Cousins of US Pharmacopeia, the official standard-setting authority for prescription and over-the-counter meds, tells the paper. “What we have seen is that the number of reports of similar-named drugs is increasing, and the number of different products implicated in medication errors is increasing.” The FDA, under a congressional m... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1692383 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:46:40 +0100 1692383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1689058&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F08%2F07%2Fthe-crystal-ball-crackd%2F The Kid recently took the ACT test, which like the SAT, is frequently used by colleges to determine scholastic abilities, and in his case helped place him for which college writing class he needed.  He had to ask his sister what the test was like, and her impressions about its difficulty level.  I could not [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1689058 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:42:44 +0100 1689058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502738&cid=t_139611_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F308252165%2F Suppose you work for a drugmaker and want to call your new pill Havidol. Odds are pretty reasonable that whatever name you choose will get bounced - about 40 percent of chosen names are rejected by the FDA over safety or promotional reasons, The RPM Report notes. So the agency hopes to improve the odds by transferring responsibility for testing proposed names to drugmakers, the mag writes, adding that, much like the NDA review process, sponsors would test names themselves and submit the info to FDA for approval. Yet there’s still no guarantee the FDA will say okay. In fact, at a two-day meeting last week, Steve Hartman, a trademarks and copyrights vp at Novartis, noted the new process requires lots of extra work and expressed concern that “predictability will decrease” un... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502738 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:44:17 +0100 1502738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1449386&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F17%2Fare-you-slow%2F “I, myself, was always recognized . . . as the “slow one” in the family. It was quite true, and I knew it and accepted it. Writing and spelling were always terribly difficult for me. My letters were without originality. I was . . . an extraordinarily bad speller and have remained so until this [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1449386 Sat, 17 May 2008 00:26:26 +0100 1449386 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1433786&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F10%2Fmaths-chem-ranting2%2F Why are so many math books poorly written? Even many of the physical sciences books seem to have this terrible dichotomy between the text explaining the concepts, and the text explaining the calculations. I suspect it’s partly because one person is writing the conceptual text, and another person is writing the calculations [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1433786 Sat, 10 May 2008 17:21:31 +0100 1433786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1423245&cid=t_139611_131_f&fid=35007&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbooks.mcgraw-hill.com%2Fmedical%2Fommbid%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1275 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Apr 28 [Epub ahead of print] Inhibition of neural crest migration underlies craniofacial dysmorphology and Hirschsprung’s disease in Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Tobin JL, Di Franco M, Eichers E, May-Simera H, Garcia M, Yan J, Quinlan R, Justice MJ, Hennekam RC, Briscoe J, Tada M, Mayor R, Burns AJ, Lupski JR, Hammond P, Beales PL. In this publication, the authors combine data from facial dysmorphology modeling, with experiments in mice and zebrafish to demonstrate their hypothesis that the proteins mutated in Bardet-Biedl syndrome are involved in neural crest cell migration. Thank you very much in advance for your contributions to this blog (Click on login to register and post a comment). Click this link to see the most recent online abstracts of major gene... The OMMBID Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1423245 Tue, 06 May 2008 19:06:31 +0100 1423245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1391011&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F04%2F22%2Fpreventing-brain-farts%2F Have you ever make a mistake while performing a monotonous task, one that requires your concentration but seems to go on and on and on? Some mistakes might be harmless, such as dropping a sock on the way to the laundry. Other mistakes could be more serious. Driving a long distance requires your constant vigilance and attention, but make one mistake and it could be deadly. What if there was a way to predict our making a mistake in such a task, before the mistake was made? In our driving example, such a method would perhaps result in lives saved. When people blunder after performing the same task over and over, scientists had suspected that such lapses were due to momentary hiccups in concentration. Still, little was known about what the brain was actually doing before such errors. To in... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1391011 Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:30:00 +0100 1391011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352112&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F05%2Fbuzz-off%2F No, “buzz off” does not mean that I am being grumpy and telling everyone to Go Away. There are apparently a lot of other people out there who are grumpy about Mosquitos, but not the insect kind. The story (like most) gets complex very fast. So. There are some young people who hang out in [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352112 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:56:11 +0100 1352112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1340678&cid=t_139611_133_f&fid=35129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhitterer-autism.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Feveryones-critic.html Snippets collected over a few days:-"What are you doing Mother?"Mother?"Um...knitting dear.""And what exactly are you knitting?""Socks.....for you.""But it's Summer. You bought that wool ages ago and you're only getting around to it now, when it's nearly 80 degrees outside?""Well yes I do seem to have got a little behind.""I'll say!""Never mind they'll do for next year.""I don't know if I'll like that colour next year. I'll be a year older, more sophisticated, you know."Don't bet on it dearie."Mommmmmm!""Yes dear?""Which you are like?""Um.....?""Dis card or dat card. Which one is be dah winner?""Um.....?""In dah battle.""Er......?""Choose!""The red one.""Huh! No, you lose I win.""Good for you dear.""I know coz you are always choose dah red."I need to be less predictable."Are you tired dear... Whitterer on Autism blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1340678 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:23:00 +0100 1340678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1332660&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2008%2F03%2F28%2Fchild-dies-parents-perplexed%2F http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gy_FocuLcPyslOqVeaOFan8yo7eQD8VM3A680 I just read this. I’m sure most of you all know about it by now - it seems like something that would hit massive airtime on the major networks. If you are religious, close your browser right now. If you think your feelings might be hurt by someone questioning your beliefs, close your browser right now. Last warning. It’s painfully obvious that The Angriest Pharmacist is not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination. When I was a child, we attended a Methodist church. While in high school, we went to a Baptist (hellfire and brimstone) Church. My mother still goes there. I stopped the day I turned 18 — it was kind of an unspoken agreement between myself and my mother. I wish she’d st... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1332660 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:59:05 +0100 1332660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1316701&cid=t_139611_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F03%2F20%2Fpiss-poor-platitudes%2F There’s something about the intersection of the loss of a child and thoughtlessness that produces a dreadful lot of dreadful platitudes. But your child doesn’t even have to die — finding out that your child has an incurable disease or disabling condition can result in more horrible platitudes. Some people will protest that, “Well, they [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1316701 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:02:50 +0100 1316701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1316820&cid=t_139611_117_f&fid=36026&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fzimney%2Fmedical-and-medication-errors-60-minutes-examines-dennis-quaids-twins-near-fatal-heparin-overdoses%2F This past Sunday, CBS’ “60 Minutes” program took a look at the unfortunate medication errors that nearly killed actor Dennis Quaid’s infant twins last November at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. The babies were in the hospital to receive intravenous antibiotics for a staph infection when they were accidentally injected with adult strength heparin, a blood thinner, which was 1000 times the dose they should have received. The overdose caused the children to have bruising and bleeding, but, fortunately, the mistake was recognized and the treatment was effective and they recovered with no apparent permanent effects. That wasn’t the outcome for three infants who died at Methodist hospital in Indianapolis last year who also received accidental overdoses of heparin (three ... Dr. Z's Medical Report blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1316820 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:09:34 +0100 1316820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1306093&cid=t_139611_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F252459258%2F The actor and his wife, you may recall, sued the Heparin maker late last year after their newborn twins were inadvertently given massive doses of the blood thinner at a Los Angeles hospital. The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages and claims Baxter Healthcare was negligent in packaging different doses of the product in similar vials with blue backgrounds, and also claims Baxter should have recalled large-dose vials after overdoses killed three children at an Indianapolis hospital last year. Baxter, of course, is also at the center of a scandal over contaminated Heparin. And so tonight at 7 pm EST, Quaid talks to 60 Minutes about an episode he describes as life-and-death in hopes of drawing attention to the problem of medical errors. “After these three kids died in Indiana, the... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1306093 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:15:01 +0100 1306093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1258409&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2008%2F02%2F26%2Fmy-letter-to-the-usa-today-journalists%2F I decided to send a letter to the guys that wrote the recent string of USA Today Articles concerning misfills (with more to come) directing them to my recent post analyzing the numbers behind misfills - and showing that they are not as common as USA Today would like its readers to believe. Here’s what I sent:  To: Kevin McCoy (Journalist), Erik Brady (Journalist), and Brent Jones (Reader Editor) Dear Mr. McCoy, Mr. Brady, and Mr. Jones,    I applaud your recent article in exposing the high-volume/low-staff environment many of our pharmacies nationwide are exposed to by their corporate counterparts. However, I think the problem presented may be drastically overstated. While even 1 error is drastic and 1 death is too many, the human element cannot be removed from pharmacy and theref... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1258409 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:00:01 +0100 1258409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1258225&cid=t_139611_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F241574960%2Fshortcomings-of-compassion.html Dispatches from the Culture Wars reports on a lesbian couple who were denied visitation rights and a chance to provide medical information when one woman fell ill and was taken to a hospital. The... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1258225 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:32:47 +0100 1258225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1258410&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2008%2F02%2F26%2Fthe-real-numbers%2F Let’s analyze error rates. If you’re going to bitch about how big a deal it is, I’m gonna show you right here and now. USA Today *says* there were ~3.7 million prescription errors in 2006. This is of course, a huge estimate. Data isn’t even available on the ISMP website. I remember reading, at some point, that the number was 1.5 million in 2007. That’s definitely not in line with what USA Today says. If the number I remember is correct, cut all the numbers I wrote below in HALF. Projections for prescriptions filled each year range from 3 Billion in 2000 to 4 Billion in 2008 (but I’m not sure how reputable the Toledo Globe is). I’m sure it’s closer to 4 Billion if the 3 Billion number is correct - especially with the Baby Boomers now coming o... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1258410 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:10:31 +0100 1258410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1252673&cid=t_139611_97_f&fid=35606&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theangriestpharmacist.com%2F2008%2F02%2F23%2Fokay-i-screwed-up%2F I was discussing the USA Today Article with a local insurance salesman yesterday. We were talking about the ramifications of the article for pharmacy, insurance companies, and patients. I also gave him my take on the article and how increased volume (not decreased volume as Walgreens would tell you) inherently leads to more prescription errors. I then explained the error that lead to the child’s premature puberty and the infant that was given five-times the acceptable dose of Amoxicillin (which I doubt the whole “writhing in pain” statement - UPDATE: The Angry Pharmacist Debunked this). The salesman and I parted company and a lady that was standing behind him in line approached to pick up a prescription. She said, “Hi. I’m here to pick up my infants Amoxicilli... The Angriest Pharmacist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1252673 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:26:32 +0100 1252673