Essay on "Quality and Performance Improvement"

Essay 4 pages (1266 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

medical errors in the healthcare system in the United States, including the types of errors and what can be done to reduce/prevent errors. Medical errors, no matter how much healthcare professionals do not want to admit they occur, do occur, and for some with alarming regularity. Preventing and reducing these medical errors not only improves patient safety and reduces patient fears, it provides peace of mind for healthcare professionals, as well.

Errors, even in medicine, are an unpleasant fact. No person is infallible, and there is always a margin for human error. Two writers note, "Nobody in your organization deliberately makes a mistake. In fact, it's human nature to avoid things that will harm you or someone else. Still, people commit errors that lead to tragic results" (Turner, and Kurtz, 2008). These authors believe there are two reasons people make mistakes. The first is a lack of "technical expertise." The second is a lack of teamwork. The authors also maintain that the individuals and teams have to recognize and/or understand where they tend to make mistakes in order to correct them (Turner, and Kurtz, 2008). These two areas of healthcare can be controlled and errors can be eliminated if healthcare workers recognize how and why people make mistakes, and they stay on the lookout for them.

The types of errors committed run the gamut from miscommunication between labs, doctors, and patients, to items remaining in a patient after surgery, to misdiagnosis and lack of patient understanding. Another author notes, "Communication failures are a central factor in medical errors. According to an article in Annals of Internal Medicine, invasive procedures done on the wrong patients occur far more frequently than reported" (Berntsen, 2004, p. 28). This is only one example of medical errors. Other cited errors include misdiagnosis and miscommunication regarding patient diagnosis, performing surgery on the wrong patients, performing tests and x-rays on the wrong person or affected area, misinterpretation of written instructions and prescriptions, inappropriate medications, and the list goes on infinitely. Many of these errors could be easily corrected using better communication techniques, and healthcare professionals need to be aware of the importance of communication in all areas from the doctor's office to surgery, pharmacy, and beyond.

Many of the most common medical errors occur again and again, making them stand out in the public's memory. Sponges and other surgical devices are often left inside a patient, and that can lead to massive infection and even death. Patients are often given an overdose of medication due to misinterpretation of doctor's orders, or they can receive the wrong information. The wrong limbs or organs may be removed or replaced, and patients may be misidentified. Labs can confuse results, or not report the correct results, and nurses can forget orders. In all of these instances, better communication could have helped solve the problem, and often, that includes communication with the patient. Patients are often extremely cognizant regarding their illnesses and diseases, and many mistakes occur even after patients protest or comment about their treatment. Healthcare professionals sometimes ignore patients, thinking they "know more" than the patient, and this is not always the case. To prevent errors, healthcare professionals need to be more open to communication with each other and with patients and their families, who often know much more than doctors and nurses give them credit for or recognize.

Another form of medical error that is far less recognized are the "near misses." Near misses are incidents that could have turned into far more serious medical errors, but were caught in time. These occur far more often than many people realize, and they are often referred to as "incidence reports" in the healthcare industry. Author Berntsen continues, "Most hospitals have some version of these forms for internal quality tracking. Also, depending… READ MORE

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