Human error is a predicament that is as old as time, and it precedes human service in every platform. A report published by the Institute of Medicine in the year 1999, entitled “To Err is Human,” shed vivid insights on the enormous drawbacks that the United States health care system is facing contemporarily. The ramifications of healthcare errors can be pervasive in the medical field, and some could culminate to the demise of the patients. In this accord, it is paramount that the health care department brainstorm and formulate approaches that could be employed in the mitigation of the prevalence of medical errors so as to improve the quality of patient care (Charney, 2012). Ultimately, errors may be regarded as a depiction of humanity, but the consequences of the errors implore that medical practitioners strive to formulate strategies that would reduce the margins for error, thus fostering efficiency in the health care system.
In the pursuit to extensively understand the gravity of the problem to the health care sector, it is fundamental that the relevant statistics of the report be reiterated. The report stipulated that about 44,000 to 98,000 people succumb to their demise as a result of human error in the dissipation of patient care services (Institute of Medicine, 1999). Despite the threatening rate of deaths caused by the errors, the health care sector seems to be lagging behind other high-risk industries in finding effective and practical solutions to the predicament before it scales to uncontrollable levels. The Institute of Medicine has reported a significant improvement in the quality of health care over the years. The improvement in patient care has been achieved through the use of a comprehensive approach to improving the state of the healthcare service and the safety of the patients altogether. The report released by the Institute almost instantaneously became the point of reference in the national media coverage about the eminence of new policy implementation in the pursuit to salvage the quality of health care. It is worth noting that the report acted as a trigger to the health sector to endeavor in improving the quality of patient care (Stelfox et al., 2006).
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Errors in the medical platform are failures in the prescribed or planned actions to achieve the intended outcome of the patient. Moreover, an endeavor can be classified as a medical error when a wrong and an unapproved approach is used by the physician to achieve the intended aim. The medical practice is controlled by ethical and legal provisions that medical practitioners are expected to adhere to at all times. The provisions not only seek to protect the patient but also stipulate the course of action that should be taken by a physician in light of a given scenario. Furthermore, the medical protocols provide a catalog of treatment procedures that should be followed by medical practitioners in various cases. Failure to observe the recommended treatment approaches or shoddy examination of the patient’s condition tends to lead to the culmination of human errors in the medical arena (Stelfox et al., 2006).
Health science literature has always been regarded as the cornerstone of the efforts to revamp the quality of health care and foster patient safety. Although academic publications and research in themselves cannot salvage patient safety, the information and findings presented through the literature have served as a framework from which medical decisions are made (Kalra, 2011). The knowledge has also been an integral aspect that can be used in boosting patient safety. Empirical research ranging from those exploring patient safety to evidence-based practice studies seeking to establish remodeled and effective nursing frameworks have been instrumental in the improvement of the quality of health care. The researchers seek to explore a vast array of factors that could be impeding the improvement in patient safety, and the information coupled with the provided recommendations can be integrated into the medical practice and foster a safer manner of health care services dissipation (Waluube, 2011).
According to Bonifield (2012), Medical errors kill more than a quarter million people and injures millions in the United States. Patients always entrust their lives to medical practitioners expecting them to act proficiently so as to save their lives. Nonetheless, the trusted doctors could sometimes become the doom of the patient if they are susceptible to errors in their practice. Endemic and detrimental conditions such as cancer and AIDS have been placed at the pinnacle of conditions leading to escalated death tolls on the global arena. Also, the rampancy of medical mistakes has placed the endeavor as the third most detrimental aspect that leads to the demise of the patients. The most prevalent human error in the medical practice has been cited as cases of mistaken identities, thus, resulting in the treatment of the wrong patient. For instance, a surgeon could make a detrimental body-parts-mix-up due to the failure to distinguish the identities of two patients who have similar names (Bonifield, 2012). Kerry Higuera became a victim of this circumstance, and this depicts the heights of negligence on the medical practitioners’ part as far as patient care dissipation is concerned. In the pursuit to prevent such an error from occurring, it is fundamental that doctors and nurses thoroughly cross-check the patient’s information, such as name, barcode number given to the patient and date of birth before commencing any treatment.
Nelson Bailey suffered a medical consequence that culminated from negligence and error that was made by doctors. Surgeons are sometimes in a hurry to save lives, and for this precise reason they end up making fatal mistakes. Bailey was a victim of surgical staff misconduct and negligence when an equipment used during the operation was left inside her body. Surgical souvenirs should be counted before and after the surgery to ensure that no equipment is left within the patient’s body upon completion of surgery. The counting of the surgery souvenirs would allow the medical practitioners to be accountable for every equipment at the end of an operation thus preventing the resonation of a case whereby equipment is left inside the patient’s body. The patient also has a role to play in ensuring this does not happen; he or she should report any manner of discomfort, unexpected pain, swelling, or fever after the surgery because this could be symptoms of equipment left inside the patient’s body after the surgery (Bonifield, 2012).
Cases of lost patients is also a prominent factor impeding the quality of health care and the safety of patients. Mary Cole was a victim of negligence on the part of the medical practitioners, and she got lost. Patients that are diagnosed with severe or even mild psychological conditions may experience episodes of memory loss. In the case that such a patient, diagnosed with dementia, for instance, wanders away from the hospital premises, they may not be able to find their way back. Ultimately, the patient may become trapped in dangerous neighborhoods and the inability to remember the hospital premises may lead them to suffer from severe conditions such as dehydration or hypothermia. If such patients are not found in time, they may succumb to their demise. In this regard, it is paramount that health care facilities use improved surveillance equipment such as GPS bracelet trackers so as to pinpoint the location of their patients with utmost precision at all times (Bonifield, 2012).
The internet is providing a hub of information that is intended to better humanity, but sometimes the information can be a core orchestrating factor for the crumble of the safety of humankind. Con artists may pretend to be doctors so as gain monetary benefits. Such actions deteriorate the stature of patient safety on the national scale. Sarafina Gerling fell victim to such con advertisements. She sought medical attention from a fake doctor whose treatment only worsened her condition. The prevention of such occurrence can only be achieved if both the government and the public do its part. The government should intensify its war on improper ethics on the web and cyber crime. Patients also have an obligation to exercise caution when relating with people on the internet. Patients can also verify the identity of the physicians’ online prior to allowing them to be in charge of their health endeavors (Bonifield, 2012).
Threats to paint safety tend to resonate from improper storage and retrieval of information, negligence on the part of the physician, and a patient’s failure to do his or her part in ensuring own safety. In this accord, medical errors could be prevented through the use of workable and efficient electronic recording systems that would promote precision and diminish cases of mixed identities (In Riga, 2017). Moreover, doctors and other practitioners should exercise more caution in their practice such as counting the surgery souvenir and double-checking patient information before the commencement of treatment. In addition, patients together with their families should exercise caution when dealing with physicians, and they should take the responsibility of reporting any change in their health to the medical practitioners. Patient safety is important because it boosts the public’s faith in the health care system and further revamps the quality of life in the nation (In Hawkins, B., & American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 2015).
In conclusion, medical errors may be human nature, but their prevalence in the medical platform may be detrimental to the population. Notably, Medical errors are relatively fatal and have resulted in the demise of many people in the United States. In this regard, doctors ought to exercise more caution in the manner in which they deal with patients so as to revamp the quality of health care. In addition, patients should also take responsibility and check online if their physicians are licensed before they accept treatment. Holistically, improvement of patient safety would revamp the dependability of the health care system and improve the quality of life in the nation.
References
Bonifield, J. (2012). 10 Shocking Medical Mistakes. CNN. Retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/09/health/medical-mistakes/ .
Charney, W. (2012). Epidemic of medical errors and hospital-acquired infections: Systemic and social causes . Boca Raton: CRC Press.
In Hawkins, B., & American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, (2015). ASHP Best Practices: Position and guidance documents of ASHP . Bethsda Press.
In Riga, M. (2017). Impact of medical errors and malpractice on health economics, quality, and patient safety . Hershey, PA.
Institute of Medicine. (1999). To err is human: Building a safer health system. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/1999/To-Err-is-Human/To%20Err%20is%20Human%201999%20%20report%20brief.pdf .
Kalra, J. (2011). Medical errors and patient safety: Strategies to reduce and disclose medical errors and improve patient safety . Berlin: De Gruyter.
Stelfox, H. T., Palmisani, S., Scurlock, C., Oray, E. J., & Bates, D. W. (2006). The “To Err is Human” report and the patient safety literature. Quality and Safety in Health Care. Doi: 10.1136/qshc.2006.017947 .
Waluube, D. D. F. (2011). Medical errors and adverse events: Managing the aftermath . Xlibris, Corporation.
