First the New York Times reports on a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine about the mistakes in US hospitals that kill 44,000 to 98,000 patients a year. The example the newspaper draws from is that of a patient whose heart was operated on in error, thanks to 17 separate mistakes.
In fact, this issue doesn’t really worry me. I like to think I am adult enough to accept that mistakes will happen from time to time, even in life and death situations. And at least the journal is at last trying to shine the light of scientific inquiry on ordinary goofs.
What concerns me more is that I read this morning that in a study by the Postgraduate Medical Journal (reported by the BBC) many newly-qualified UK doctors were found to lack basic emergency knowledge about how to deal with unconscious patients, how to use an oxygen mask etc. Frankly I wonder how different the results would have been if the doctors tested were more senior…absolutly free ringtonesal harringtonand blackburn accrington notcarrington alfieaccringtoneverington alfredringtones alerthetherington alexa Map
