Preventing Medical Errors in Hospitals

In the United States, thousands of patients die every year because of preventable medical errors.

It is important to take steps to prevent medical malpractice. Hospitals are using technology to streamline processes to reduce the scope of error and the chance of medical errors by doctors and hospital staff.

Iris Scan

An iris sca is one of the most accurate identity authentication systems available today. Iris scans can be used for identifying patients in hospitals or other healthcare settings. It requires no physical contact and uses video camera technology and infrared illumination to capture details of patterns in a person's iris. These unique patterns are then coded to identify a person. The correct identification of patients can help prevent allergies, drug interactions, prescription errors, wrong treatment or surgery, and other medical errors.

Electronic Health Records

In 2008, the federal government enacted the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Heath Act that mandated all healthcare settings to adopt electronic records. Hospitals have until 2015 to implement using electronic records. The digital version of a patients’ medical records will allow doctors to store and retrieve patient information easily, quickly, and accurately. This helps doctors to make better decisions for their patients and prevent medical errors. Using electronic health records, doctors are more aware of drug interactions, medical history, dangerous signs and symptoms, and other critical information.

RFID Chipped Sponges

A rare type of medical malpractice involves egregious medical errors such as when a doctor leaves behind a foreign object, such as a surgical sponge, inside the patient’s body during surgery. A retained sponge may cause excruciating pain, deadly infections, and even death. To prevent such “never events”, hospitals can use RFID tagging of surgical sponges so that an accurate count can be maintained and missing sponges can be detected.

Additional Technologies

Many hospitals are now using eMAR along with bar code technology to keep a record of what medication a patient is receiving, in what dosage, and when. This reduces medication transcription and administration errors. A bar coded band around the patient’s wrist helps the nurse to identify the patient and administer the right medication at the right time.

The electronic physician ordering system is another technology that many hospitals across the nation have adopted. Using a centralized hospital system, doctors can directly order tests, procedures, and medications, greatly reducing the chances of medical errors.

If you have been a victim of medical malpractice, contact an experienced St. Louismedical malpractice lawyer at Zevan and Davidson Law Firm, LLC. Call us at (314) 588-7200 to learn about your legal rights.