Health care should improve your health, right? Modern medicine extends and improves many lives, but it can also have adverse effects. Certainly! Modern medicine is continuously improving the treatment and prevention of diseases. However, along with its benefits, healthcare also involves risks. Research shows that about 6% of medical interactions result in preventable injuries each year, leading to a significant number of fatalities. Additionally, even with skilled healthcare providers, harm can occur despite following protocols. To minimize the risk of harm, it is important to understand the steps you can take to reduce potential hazards. It is also crucial to be aware of external forces.
Whatever happened to “First, not harm”?
Patient safety is still a fundamental principle in healthcare. However, our healthcare system is intricate and fragmented. Each year, a growing number of new pharmaceuticals are developed, and people are living longer with more prevalent chronic health conditions compared to earlier generations.
Consequently, while modern medical care has improved outcomes, it may also increase healthcare-related harm. Many negative outcomes in healthcare are caused by the complexities of the healthcare system, rather than human errors. Medical malpractice is defined as an injury caused by inadequate or negligent care. Both healthcare providers and healthcare systems have crucial responsibilities in protecting patients and maintaining high levels of care.
Are there harms that cannot be prevented?
A vast body of scientific research informs the most effective methods for diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases. Despite this knowledge, individuals may exhibit unexpected responses to therapies. Consider penicillin, which is a common antibiotic that has the potential to cause anaphylaxis—a severe and possibly fatal allergic reaction. Though these reactions are rare, there is still a small but real risk of experiencing a serious allergic reaction unless you or your doctor are aware of any past adverse reactions and take necessary precautions. Frequently, harms that are less dramatic but still unavoidable include:
Medication side effects: Medical side effects are a common occurrence associated with every medicine, encompassing a range of potential outcomes like nausea, drowsiness, or skin reactions.
Misdiagnosis: Even the most experienced healthcare provider may make mistakes. Due to inherent flaws in diagnostic skills, leading to unnecessary treatments or delays in accessing necessary care.
Inaccurate test results: No healthcare provider is perfect, and no medical test is infallible. False-positive outcomes, which suggest a problem when none exists. The false-negative results, which indicate normalcy despite the presence of disease, are both common in clinical settings. These outcomes can lead to unnecessary treatments or false reassurances.
Which harm can be prevented?
These mistakes often involve multiple factors that, if proactively addressed, can decrease the chances of harm. The “Swiss cheese model” analogy is often in this context. Imagine you are a fly trying to make your way through several slices of Swiss cheese. Each slice represents a layer of defence against medical errors or injury. It’s as if you’re trying to pass through the cheese slices. But you can only do so if the holes in each slice line up perfectly to form an unobstructed channel. In healthcare, errors can occur when several factors align. Such as administering a medication to a hospitalised patient to which they are allergic.
For such an error to happen, the wrong drug must pass through multiple checks, including the prescribing doctor, the computerised ordering system, the hospital pharmacist, the nurse dispensing the medication, and finally the patient.
What can you do to avoid preventable harm?
How can you help prevent preventable injuries in these three scenarios?
Continuing to take medication that isn’t causing any immediate problems may seem harmless. But all medications have potential adverse effects that should be avoided if possible. Stopping or reducing drug doses can help reduce these risks. Also, adding more drugs to your treatment plan can lead to unwanted interactions.
What you can do: Remember to fully understand why you are taking each prescription drug. Make sure to consult your healthcare providers regularly to verify. Each drug is necessary, and the dosage is safe. Lowering the dosage can help decrease the chances of experiencing adverse effects and the risk of potentially harmful drug interactions. This proactive approach ensures that you are only taking medications when necessary. The right dosage for your health, optimising your treatment plan.
Health & fitness reviews: Health care should improve your health, right?
The Problem: Taking the wrong medication, whether in type or dosage, can have major effects on your health. It is critical to verify that you are taking the correct medication for your ailment and that you strictly follow the specified dosage. Taking the wrong medication can harm your health or cause new problems.
The problem: wrong location for surgery.
Despite protocols in place, such as verification processes, pre-surgery time-outs. Clear communication among surgical teams—mistakes can still occur due to factors like human error, miscommunication, or breakdowns in procedural adherence. Healthcare providers and institutions are always working to enhance patient safety by providing training, and education, and implementing standardised protocols. However, due to the complexity of surgical environments and the potential for unexpected circumstances,. It is essential to stay vigilant and uphold strong safety protocols to minimize the incidence of wrong-site surgeries.
Patients and their families also play a significant role by actively. Participating in pre-operative discussions, verifying information, and raising any concerns they may have. Healthcare providers can work towards minimising rare but serious errors and ensuring. The highest standards of patient care and safety by fostering a culture of safety, transparency, and open communication.
What you can do: It’s important for you and your surgeon to have a clear understanding of which part of your body and which side requires surgery. Most surgeons now mark the surgical site with a special pen before starting the procedure. This marker serves as a visual signal to ensure the exact surgical placement.
Furthermore, surgeons often advise patients to participate in the verification process by initialling the marked site. This double-check ensures that both the surgical team and the patient are in agreement regarding the intended treatment and location.
By participating in this verification procedure and confirming the surgical site with your surgeon, you are helping to reduce the possibility of wrong-site surgery and ensuring a safer surgical experience. This approach shows a commitment to patient safety and underscores the importance of clear communication and meticulous attention to detail in surgical care. Some of these tips take time or resources that only some have, such as being able to bring another person with you to medical appointments or having a recording device. However, asking questions and receiving understandable answers should be routine.
Where does malpractice fit in?
When considering healthcare-related injuries, malpractice is often the first concern. However, the approximately 10,000 malpractice payments made annually in the United States represent only a small fraction of all healthcare-related harm.
Numerous factors, including the following, influence this shift:
- Not every instance of negligent or inadequate care results in significant or long-term harm that would warrant a malpractice claim.
- Most individuals with valid reasons to file malpractice complaints do not do so, usually because they are unaware that they have received substandard care. Research indicates that less than 5% of people who file malpractice claims for medical treatment have been harmed.
- More healthcare providers and systems are taking responsibility for preventable injuries by offering proactive compensation, rather than waiting for a legal claim.
