Prevalence of Medical Errors

Medical errors have been in prevalence for an extended period. It has been noted that patients all over the world have been dying every year due to preventable medical errors. Most are the times when patients’ safety is put at risk as a result of negligence from medical practitioners. A medical error has since been defined as the failure to complete a planned action as intended or the use of the wrong plan to achieve an aim. Medical errors can be f different forms ranging from problems in practice, procedures, products, and systems. Before learning the course, I had heard of the prevalence of these errors where most patients died in hospitals due to lack of patient’s safety procedures (Jenicek, 2011). I had also heard of cases where patients became sicker while in hospitals rather than getting an improvement. The increasing number of patients with the complicated patient mix, more problems, more medications and increased workload increase room for errors.

Case study analysis

From part 1 of Gibson and Singh details ten patient-family accounts and their experience with medical error, there is a case about a young girl called Elizabeth. This young girl recalls telling her parents that she suspected that her kidney cancer was back. The girl remembers that she was in severe pain that only morphine could relieve.  Despite the young girl’s insistence and the mother of the doctor, the doctors dismissed the girl’s claims citing cancer failure as the cause of the girl’s tribulations. The doctors insisted that the problem was in the head, and there was no reason for alarm (Gibson & Singh, 2003). The doctors went ahead and canceled an MRI scan that was earlier planned and urged the parents to help the girl to overcome the psychological problem.

Elizabeth’s mother decided to help the girl overcome the problem after being convinced that the girl was manipulative, and she risked raising more anxiety if she sided with her daughter. Nevertheless, the case continues to say that the girl’s condition worsened and after three months, the girl had lost almost 20 pounds in weight. Elizabeth condition got worse and became totally withdrawn and place in the outpatient psychiatric word. At later stages, MRI scan proved that the girl suffered from a brain tumor as it became evident that cancer had grown to the spine and later to the brain (Gibson & Singh, 2003). Although the girl’s life was saved through nine-month chemotherapy, it was sad to see the young girl becoming permanently paralyzed from the waist downwards. The girl recalls out of the five doctors only one was responsible enough to apologize to her. Despite the painful experience, the girl decides to forgive her mother.

The stories of the ten families expressing their experience with medical errors are very fascinating. They give a sorrowful experience of how errors of omission or commission can ruin lives of innocent patients seeking medical attention from the experts. For instance, the case of Elizabeth is a sad story since the young girl was very clear in her conscience that she was suffering from cancer, but the doctors ignored (Kalra, 2011). It gets emotional learning that the young girl becomes paralyzed, and this would not be the case if the doctors did not cancel the pre-planned MRI scan. The error eminent in this case is a failure to have an early diagnosis that would have prevented the spread of cancer to the spine and brain.

The increased cases of medical error have necessitated the introduction of quality and safety initiatives aimed at reducing incidences of medical error. The federal government is spending a substantial amount of funds to ensure that a less error-prone health system is realized.  For instance, the institute of medicine has made suggestions on quality improvement initiative that would lead to fewer occurrences of medical errors. There has been intensive investment in technology that will enable health practitioners to avoid medical errors of Diagnostic inaccuracies and delays such as was the case with Elizabeth. Enhanced communication systems have also been put in place to ensure that all information gaps are adequately covered thus reducing room for more errors. It is on this note that the institute of medicine has taken necessary measures that ensure that health information technology guarantee patients safety (Gibson & Singh, 2003). The case of Elizabeth was so compelling to me because I was touched with how such a young suffered due to ignorance of qualified health personnel.

Role of nurses in patient safety

Nurses just like physicians and other health providers have an ethical and legal obligation to report errors and other risks that compromise the patient’s safety. Nevertheless, most are the times when nurses fail to report these errors thus endangering the lives of patients (Jenicek, 2011).  Most health care providers including nurses fail to report errors simply because they feel so devastated and embarrassed by their mistakes and strive to conceal these mistakes or pass the blame to others. Failure to report errors by nurses is detrimental to patients’ safety and also grossly ruins the relationship between the patients and healthcare providers. This vice also leads to increased chances of committing more medical errors.

Nursing shortages can be detrimental and may lead to increased chances of committing medical errors. Nurses have a significant role in healthcare provision and case there is a shortage of nursing facilities; then the patients’ safety is also compromised. Preservation of patient safety is a significant role of the nursing fraternity, and if the number of patients exceeds the number of nurses, then there is increased room for error (Kalra, 2011). A closer look at the patient by nurses can be instrumental in the prevention of some medical errors such as diagnostic delay and surgery errors.  It is the obligation of nurses to report such errors and prompting corrective measures thus improving patients’ safety. With this in mind, it is imperative that every healthcare provider must ensure that there is sufficient staffing of nurses.

In my opinion, the cases of medical errors are on the decline in the recent past. Although there are still some incidences where patients are dying as a result of medical errors, it imperative stating that there has been a positive improvement in enhancing patients safety. Nevertheless, the few instances reported should be dealt with amicably to ensure that no life is lost unnecessarily. Nurses have the obligation of reporting medical errors and hospital managers should also be proactive in responding to the reported mistakes in a constructive manner. Quality improvement also remains a critical aspect of ensuring that we realize the desired levels of patients’ safety. In conclusion, medical errors are a notable cause of death for many patients in the United States (Jenicek, 2011). Nevertheless, with the increased awareness of this epidemic, it is the obligation of all stakeholders in the health sector to ensure effective solutions and prevention to this menace are established in our health care systems.

References

Gibson, R., & Singh, J. (2003). Wallofsilence. Washington, D.C.: LifeLine Press.

Jenicek, M. (2011). Medical error and harm. New York: Productivity Press/CRC Press.

Kalra, J. (2011). Medical errors and patient safety. Berlin: De Gruyter.

 
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