Medical Malpractice Insurance News

The American Hospital Association says the guilty verdict for a nurse who made a medication error “discourages health caregivers from coming forward with their mistakes.” The trial raises important questions about electronic device management, alert overrides and provider burnout.

A new study published by JAMA Network Open says displaying patient photographs in EHRs can reduce wrong-patient order entry errors.

The Joint Commission’s seven patient safety goals it says should be the prioritized by hospitals in the coming year.

The hectic pace of pandemic care may contribute to medication errors. It’s critical to recognize this risk by putting into place safeguards that support identifying and preventing these errors.

To prevent COVID-19-related diagnostic errors, physicians and healthcare organizations must address cognitive biases that are often present during clinical decision-making.

A recent study attributed over half of adverse events associated with surgical care to cognitive error. The study’s authors identified opportunities to enhance patient safety, including training staff to recognize common mental pitfalls.

Researchers say that over “100,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled each year due to medical diagnoses that initially miss conditions or are wrong or delayed” and that “three major disease categories account for nearly three-fourths of all serious harms from diagnostic errors.”

Characterizing prescription errors as “relatively common but preventable,” The Pharmaceutical Journal has published recommendations for preventing the mistakes, which can represent threats to patient safety.

Two new online CME modules – “High Exposure Liability: Errors in Diagnosis – Parts I & II” — feature a physician expert and a defense attorney discussing factors that contribute to diagnostic errors and offering strategies for improving patient care and reducing potential risk.

Researchers are looking at how better measurement of diagnostic errors may help physicians track performance, gauge the effectiveness of interventions, reduce errors and improve patient outcomes.