Deaths in the United States due to Medical Errors

In the quest to identify and handle the causes of deaths that have led to an increased mortality and morbidity rate, medical researchers in America have identified that besides chronic diseases, medical errors and minor mistakes conducted by the medical practitioners are high contributors of deaths. Being a very critical field, medical practitioners and all stakeholders are expected to collaborate in ensuring the efficiency and accuracy are maintained when offering the services sought by patients. Unlike other professions, minor errors in medical practices that may look insignificant can result and contribute to extreme complications in both the patients and the authenticity of the services that all practitioners offer. For instance, the inability to record every tests, medications, and process that a particular patient has undergone, can result in either subjecting them on an overdose or missing a recommended dose or test as highlighted by Keers et.al (2013). Consequently, the life of the patient is subjected to a threat that in most cases if not handled early enough leads to their deaths. 

Medical errors are preventable, and as mentioned earlier it takes the collaboration of all the stakeholders in order to deal with possible mistakes that can arise. While doctors and nurses are mostly blamed for the errors conducted in the medical centers, patients and administrators also play a significant role in the possible mistakes observed. For instance, the inability of a patient to explain clearly their problem or how they feel highly determine the doctor’s possible diagnosis. It is obvious that when the diagnosis is incorrect, the patient will definitely get the wrong treatment. Consequently, most individuals end up developing other complications while at the same time the condition they had worsened leading to them succumbing to the illnesses. 

While medical practitioners are expected to be highly accurate with everything they perform on their patients and tests were done, the patients, on the other hand, must ensure that they follow every advice offered by the physicians. For example, during treatment, some medications may react negatively to what is consumed. Therefore, the doctor may advise the patient to keep off consuming certain meals or substances to ensure that the medication provided works effectively. In case the patient ignores the advice given, the possibility of them not getting better and developing unknown complications is extremely high. In addition, it is the responsibility of the patients to help the doctors in giving the relevant information concerning their body, possible allergies and the medications one has been using before. It is also very critical for patients to get involved in the processes that the doctor takes them through by asking questions. The ability to ask questions as to why what is done and when helps the physician to give nothing but the right treatment and service since you will be in a better position to hold them accountable. On the other hand, patients will also be aware of the condition they are suffering from and the ways to manage or prevent further complications for further treatment. 

While consistency is an essential practice, Jorde, Carey, and Bamshad (2015) advocates for constant improvement and upgrade in the medical practices. Hence the observed changes that have occurred since the ancient times as recorded in the Medical Genetics E-Book. Moreover, they highlight the importance of communication among staff members inclusive those who are not directly connected to the patients. Proper use of communication ensures that accuracy is maintained and right procedures are followed. As observed earlier, communication is an element that is significant and a requirement from all stakeholders involved. Besides, good communication among healthcare stakeholders improves on the safety of the patient and minimizes the inefficiency in coordinated care. For instance, during the change of shifts, professionals must alert each other on what has been done and the progress through proper recording and conversations. In support of the importance of communication in dealing with medical errors, Amy Starmer et.al (2013), reckon that handoff miscommunication are among the major causes of medical errors observed in the medical field. In addition, a research conducted helped in the identification that the improvement handoff programs are not available. As a result, Starmer et.al (2014) indicates that the efforts of reducing errors while offering medical services have been implemented. Contrary to this, the rates of the total errors are still high despite the progress made in decreasing the mistakes done. Considering the years that medical practitioners take in acquiring the skills and being in the position to help and treat sick individuals, it is expected that they maintain high standards in service delivery. Research shows that the number of medical practitioners to that of the patients is very low. As a result, many of them end up overworking in order to meet the required target of attending to the high number of patients in the hospitals. Burnouts and fatigue in physicians have been the number one cause of errors done within the medical field. 

According to Shanafelt et.al (2010), interviewed surgeons admitted to having committed a medical error in the surgery they conducted. A majority of them attributed the errors to burnouts that were led by physical and emotional exhaustion, depression and depersonalization. Healthcare being a fundamental need in the society, the government as a stakeholder must allocate various solutions that will enhance efficiency in service delivery. Training of specialists is a significant requirement which boosts the number of available physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other specialists. As a result, cases of burnouts will reduce at a high percentage. On the other hand, each personnel will have time to research more and practice their skills with sober minds considering the free time developed when the numbers of health employees are increased. Gardner et.al (2017), highlights that some of the reasons that contribute to burnout besides lack of enough staff members are the insufficient resources provided by the involved stakeholders. The aftermath is a compromised well-being of the mental and physical health of the healthcare practitioners that highly contributes to poor performance and errors that lead to the preventable deaths patients. 

For smooth running in the healthcare sector, so much is placed on the hands of medical professional and hence other stakeholders remain relaxed in ensuring that mistakes are evaded. It is such perspectives that contribute to the high numbers of errors observed in healthcare. Besides advanced technology and its use, the quality of healthcare can be improved through the use of relevant equipment that is accurate and up-to-date. Donald M. Berwick (2007) reckons that critical achievable goals have to be set and the deadlines met to improve the quality of healthcare. As mentioned earlier the collaboration of involving stakeholders is required to ensure that mistakes and preventable errors are avoided. 

Millions of Americans succumb to conditions that are both preventable and manageable annually. Besides chronic diseases, researchers have identified that the third leading cause of death in America is the errors conducted by professional medical practitioners. While medicine is a highly considered field, some of the practices that contribute to the errors observed include the absence of patient safety, poorly coordinated care, and inefficient healthcare quality improvement. Significant steps that can be taken to reduce deaths caused by medical errors include good communication, cooperation, use of advanced technology and implementation of quality healthcare among others.

References

Berwick DM, Calkins DR, McCannon CJ, Hackbarth AD. The 100 000 Lives CampaignSetting a Goal and a Deadline for Improving Health Care Quality. JAMA. 2007;295(3):324–327. doi:10.1001/jama.295.3.324

Jorde, L. B., Carey, J. C., & Bamshad, M. J. (2015). Medical Genetics E-Book . Elsevier Health Sciences.

Kalra J.., Kopargaonkar A. (2017). Quality Care and Patient Safety: Strategies to Disclose Medical Errors. Springer International Publishing. Drug Saf (2017) 590: 159-167. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-60483-1_17

Keers RN, Williams SD, Cooke J, Ashcroft DM. Causes of Medication Administration Errors in Hospitals: a Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence. Springer International Publishing. Drug Saf(2013) 36(11):1045-1067. Doi. 10.1007/s40264-013-0090-2

Shanafelt, Tait , Balch, Charles, Bechamps, Gerald, Russell, Tom, Dyrbye, Lotte, Satele, Daniel , Collicott, Paul, Novotny, Paul J., Sloan, Jeff, Freischlag, Julie. Burnout and Medical Errors Among American Surgeons. Annals of Surgery: June 2010; volume 251; issue 6; pp 995-1000. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181bfdab3

Starmer AJ, Sectish TC, Simon DW, Keohane C, McSweeney ME, Chung EY, Yoon CS, Lipsitz SR, Wassner AJ, Harper MB, Landrigan CP. Rates of Medical Errors and Preventable Adverse Events Among Hospitalized Children Following Implementation of a Resident Handoff Bundle. JAMA. 2013;310(21):2262–2270. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281961

Starmer Amy J., Spector Nancy, Srivastava Rajendu, West Daniel, Rosenbluth Glenn, et.al. Changes in Medical Errors after Implementation of a Handoff Program. New England Journal of Medicine 2014; 371:1803-1812. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa1405556