While my heart breaks for the family of the young high school boy who lost his life to a MRSA infection, I can’t help but think his death will have saved the lives of millions in the future. MRSA has been around for so many years, and tens of thousands of people have been dying, […]
MRSA in the Community (Interview) Read More »
It’s all over the news this morning, from CNN to NBC to CBS, ABC and Fox — a report of widespread MRSA and other staph infections. They are superbugs that can’t be eradicated by the antibiotics that exist because the very nature of them is that they have overcome those killing agents. So instead they
MRSA, other Staph Infections: Nothing New Here! Read More »
As promised in yesterday’s post, I’m reporting today on a frustration among those of us who work in patient safety. That frustration is once again sparked in this report from the Hartford Courant. Fifteen year old Mark Tsvok, injured in an auto accident in 2004, died from his injuries as a result of the misdeeds
When Dirty Doctors Can’t Be Identified Read More »
The first line of defense against hospital infections is clean hands. Seems simple, right? Yet millions of Americans are infected in hospitals every year. 100,000 Americans die from them. Read that carefully — yes — 100,000 Americans go to the hospital because they are sick, or they need surgery. They die — NOT because they
Hospital Infection Prevention Week Read More »
I’ve talked before about blamers and fixers. Here’s a way of looking at that concept that may make you a wiser patient. One of the big questions about medical mistakes is whether practitioners should own up to them. Until recently, doctors were highly discouraged from admitting any kinds of problems had taken place, whether it
How Apologies Lead to Fixing Read More »
(A Note: I’ve actually started this post a few times, but then I have to grab another tissue, wipe away my tears, and start again…. this is the face of post traumatic stress…. so bear with me, please….) At least a dozen people have sent me links to what ABC called “A Lecture of a
Dr. Pausch on Life – and PTSD Read More »
Three years ago tomorrow, I learned I wasn’t going to die — at least not before Christmas. September 20, 2004 was the day I learned I didn’t have cancer afterall — despite 10 weeks of insistence on the part of a handful of doctors and two pathology labs that I had a strange and aggressive
Thanks to CNN for sharing my story Read More »
You’d be amazed at the email and postal mail I receive from patients who have been hurt by the medical system. Perhaps not at the numbers — I receive a handful each week. Instead, you’d be amazed at what they ask me to do. I’ve put the people who write to me about medical errors
Blamers and Fixers: Which One Are You? Read More »
