Decline in Medical Errors at VA Hospitals
A report by the US Veterans Health Administration shows that there has been a decline in the number of medical errors at VA hospitals. However, not all is good news. While the number of actual medical errors has gone down, the number of close calls has actually increased.
Indiana medical malpractice lawyers know that preventable medical errors are a major health care problem in the United States, and the hospitals run by the US Veterans Health Administration have not been spared either. New research shows a drop in medical errors, however. According to a study, the numbers of wrong site surgeries, wrong patient surgeries and wrong medical procedures have declined in VA hospitals. The research is based on hospital reports from 2006 to 2009.
The Veterans Administration has taken steps to reduce the number of preventable medical errors at its facilities. These efforts include the introduction of checklists to prevent surgical errors. Besides, the Veterans Administration has also introduced requirements for health care professionals like doctors, nurses and other hospital workers to report medical errors and near-miss adverse events. There was extra focus on encouraging healthcare workers to report medical errors without fear of consequences.
As a result of these strategies, the per month rate of medical errors dropped from about 3 to 2 at the 153 VA centers that are equipped for surgeries. Close calls however increased from 2 to 3.
There is an explanation for why close calls are up. According to the Veterans Administration, doctors and nurses are now much more comfortable about reporting medical errors than they used to be.
