When putting your health and safety into the hands of a trained medical professional, you expect that person to perform his or her duties to the best of their ability. Nurses are responsible for carrying out a wide range of duties that are crucial to the patient’s wellbeing, including checking vital signs, updating charts, and » Read More

In an effort to reduce medication-related errors – which have become all too common in recent years – CRICO Strategies recently released a report entitled, Medication-related Malpractice Risks, which examines the causes of medication-related errors as well as the health and financial impact they have. A number of organizations are taking steps to address this » Read More

According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), a potentially deadly superbug fungus has reared its ugly head at a number of U.S. hospitals on the east coast. This organism can be spread from patient to patient, as well as via environmental surfaces. It is often difficult to identify, which makes it particularly » Read More

Every year in hospitals around the country, patients suffer injuries or die as a result of surgical errors. Many of these medical mistakes could have been prevented if the surgical team had a pre-operative system in place that could lower the risk of complications. According to research from Harvard University, hospitals in South Carolina reduced » Read More

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for Veteran’s Affairs has released a preliminary report detailing the inadequate administration of the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. According to the report, conditions including unsanitary storage of sterile medical supplies puts patients at unnecessary risk. Although the OIG is not finished with its survey of the » Read More

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing in dark, wet hospital drains sounds like the beginning of a B-movie, where an impossible to kill superbug lurks in the pipes, spreading disease that ultimately wipes out the human race. While this is far from reality, researchers have discovered that resistant superbugs can grow and thrive in hospital drains. When contaminated » Read More

Anytime a surgical procedure is performed, there are risks involved. However, some procedures are riskier than others. For example, heart surgery is much more complex and potentially life-threatening than a tonsillectomy. In addition to the inherent risk of the surgery itself, patients also run the risk of contracting a hospital acquired infection. According to the » Read More