Group: General Diet & Nutrition

Created: 2011/12/31, Members: 399, Messages: 16719

With such a topic so broad we truly try to cover the basics from all angles in this group. Nothing too big or too small. Nutrition is as significant if not more as exercise is to reaching your goals so learn all you can.

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Shocking but true!!

bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2005/03/08, 08:53 PM
Shocking, but true.

According to a 1999 Institute of Medicine report, as many as 98,000 Americans die of surgical errors, drug interactions, hospital-borne infections, misdiagnoses, or just plain unspecified medical negligence every year. And since the publication of that report, 22 states have adopted laws requiring hospitals to report the most serious of these mistakes, according to a recent Associated Press article.

What defines the "most serious" of mistakes? According to the National Quality Forum, a group dedicated to raising hospital standards, it's things like amputating the wrong limb, sending a child home with the wrong family - that kind of stuff. These "never" errors (they've identified 27 of them) are so named by the group because they're so grossly negligent that they're never supposed to happen. Ever.

Flash forward to 2005. Now, some of the first results of this mandatory reporting are starting to become public. According to the data, in just one of these complying states - the sparsely populated Minnesota - 20 people died in 99 reported examples of gross negligence in that state's hospitals in the 15 month period between July of 2003 and October of 2004.

And if the AP has it right, every one of them died from these "never" mistakes.

Keep in mind that this statistic isn't a complete listing of the God-knows-how-many Minnesota residents during this same time period who were maimed, infected, crippled or rendered mentally impaired because of medical errors - only those that died or were damaged as an UNDENIABLE RESULT OF THEM.

Considering this, who knows how many Minnesotans were really affected by iatrogenic causes? I'm sure that only the most egregious examples ever made it to the "reporting" stage. And among these were: Medication errors, equipment malfunctions, fatal burns and falls - and at least 31 instances of surgeons leaving foreign objects in patients!

And if you think the medical care is any better in more "civilized" states, think again...



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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....

bb1fit@freetrainers.com
bb1fit
bb1fit
Posts: 11,105
Joined: 2001/06/30
United States
2005/03/08, 08:54 PM
Part 2...

How's this for confidence inspiring: One of the country's most widely known and respected hospital systems accidentally washed thousands of surgical instruments not in the customary antibacterial detergent...

But in used elevator hydraulic fluid!

According to the Herald-Sun newspaper, a pair of Duke University-affiliated hospitals mistook the hydraulic fluid - which had been drained into empty detergent canisters by elevator service technicians - for the washing agent, and routinely loaded it into their instrument-cleansing machines for the better part of TWO MONTHS before the mix-up was discovered.

Hospital higher-ups are insisting that the risk of any harm from any such residual fluid contamination during surgical procedures is remote.

Yeah, right. That's why there's a warning on bottles of other types of hydraulic fluids (like automotive brake fluid) that says "harmful or fatal if swallowed." They wouldn't put that label on there if it was harmless to ingest!

The hospitals have sent letters to the estimated 3,900 patients who were exposed to the fluid, but don't expect any complications from the snafu. Not that we'd ever hear about it anyway...

"Hydraulic fluid contamination" probably isn't on the "never" list of reportable errors.


Never saying never when it comes to the establishment,



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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....

bb1fit@freetrainers.com
princesslodgey
princesslodgey
Posts: 1,748
Joined: 2004/02/21
United Kingdom
2005/03/09, 04:47 AM
The problem is that in most medical establishments, there is poor reporting of errors, as generally speaking, individuals are blamed/scapegoated when problems arise.

Compare this to the aviation industry where there is much freer reporting of errors, as it is usually acknowledged that system failures are to blame.

Until people feel able to freely report errors, including near misses, this situation will continue.
WAnglais1
WAnglais1
Posts: 329
Joined: 2003/10/23
United States
2005/03/09, 10:17 AM
There was a report on NPR as I was driving home yesterday about prescription meds being given out at hospitals. How major ones only use a computer program now to do it. The residents and interns kept telling the higher ups the program was slow and time-consuming and error-ridden. They were not believed. Then, the "real doctors" checked into it and found the computer program had MORE errors than the human counterpart when it comes to meds. A hospital admin compared it to auto pilot on airlines...and when it first started it was tough, but the bumps got smoothed out over ten years. TEN YEARS! How many lawsuits can be filed in ten years? A lot, that's how many. Just another reason health care costs are nuts here.

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I ran outta gas. I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from outta town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake, a terrible flood, locusts. It wasn't my fault!! I swear to God!!
2005/03/09, 10:47 AM
I will send Duke a bottle of blackstrap molassas. As I mentioned in another post I used it in place of hydraulic fluid once.

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Dyslexics of the world...UNTIE!!!!!!

Charlie
ATIGER
ATIGER
Posts: 992
Joined: 2003/02/26
United States
2005/03/09, 11:55 AM
I was one of the 3,900 but it is not too bad. Now I go up or down with ease but have this really bad music playing in my head:big_smile:
2005/03/09, 12:30 PM
Hope that facial striping clears up soon too.

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Dyslexics of the world...UNTIE!!!!!!

Charlie
ATIGER
ATIGER
Posts: 992
Joined: 2003/02/26
United States
2005/03/09, 12:30 PM
Nah....it's too pretty
Vedakathryn
Vedakathryn
Posts: 1,585
Joined: 2004/05/28
United States
2005/03/09, 05:07 PM
Whew!! Makes you fearful of those places even more!!

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Veda
MISERY IS OPTIONAL
***When you are up to your ears in trouble, try using the part that is not submerged.
***The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!