Doctor Errors

A professor from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine wants people in New York and nationwide to know about the risks posed by medical errors. To promote better research about the problem, the professor wrote to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The letter urged the CDC to account for deadly medical mistakes because recognition could open up grant dollars for research aimed at improving patient safety.

A recent study published by JAMA Internal Medicine sheds some light into how the gender of a doctor may play a role in the quality of health care for patients in New York and across the U.S. The information suggests that patients treated by female physicians have a greater chance of living after being discharged from a hospital. Additionally, the study revealed that patient deaths are higher when they are treated by male doctors.

A proposal regarding an increase in shift hours for new residents at hospitals in California and across the country is being pushed by a doctors’ training group. The change from 16 to 28 hours appear to be good in terms of preparing new residents for full time work. However, it could create dangerous situations for patients who need doctors to be alert during urgent times. There is prevailing evidence that has indicated that lengthy work shifts and exhaustion are primary factors of doctors’ errors as well as car accidents.

The BMJ has published a study indicating that medical errors result in between 200,000 and 400,000 deaths annually across the United States. The BMJ estimate took into account diagnostic errors, communications breakdowns, systems failures, inadequate skill and poor judgment. The focus of the study was fatalities that occur secondary to a medical error, and many occurred in New York.

New York residents may be interested to learn that roughly 20 years ago, a surgeon from South Dakota lied during a medical malpractice case. The doctor was called to provide testimony that would establish that his colleague was a skilled surgeon. The case in question involved a patient of that colleague who suffered a stroke after undergoing a procedure performed by the defendant in the case.

When New York residents seek medical care, they put a great deal of trust in their physicians. The expectation is that the doctor is the expert who will make the best decisions possible to preserve the patient’s life and health. Unfortunately, some doctors make mistakes that can have a devastating impact on a patient’s well-being.