MISTAKES ARE COSTLY!!!!

Medical mistakes cost the federal Medicare program $8.8 billion and resulted in 238,337 potentially preventable deaths during 2004 through 2006, according to Health Grades' fifth annual Patient Safety in American Hospitals Study.
Safety measures are not only the responsibility of the institutions but also of the patients/caregivers themselves. Medical mistakes can range from anything dealing with direct patient care (pre/post operative care, respiratory issues, bed sores, etc.) to administrative/documentation errors (dispensing of medication to wrong patient, incomplete records where vital information is omitted such as drug allergies, etc.). Over the past few years there has been a number of improved systems to help with some of the common errors that occur through administrative/documentation errors such as the coding of information into the patient chart via the patient band scanning system but imagine the impact if patients/caregivers begin taking an active role concerning their medical information.
Several years ago while my brother was hospitalized an incident happened that could have had deadly consequences. Being an advocate of personal responsibility, I told him to look at and identify any medication before he took it and question any shots a staff person tried to administer before he took them. A nurse came in with a shot of insulin which had been ordered by a physician. My brother immediately told the nurse he did not need insulin as far as he knew because he was not diabetic. The nurse took the time to check his blood sugar, which was normal, and contacted the doctor who had order the insulin. Had my brother been given this medication he could have died within minutes of receiving it. Apparently in hast the physician had crossed information concerning my brother and another patient he was treating and ordered the insulin for the wrong patient.
If an electronic personal health record device that would interface with the hospital's system were utilized when the insulin was ordered there would have been an immediate red flag as to why would insulin be needed for a patient who was not a diabetic before the pharmacy dispensed it. The pharmacist could have checked the patient laboratory profile to see if there had been an elevation in blood sugar results recently...but there would be a system of cross check to lower the patient risk.
We need systems that will work together but the first step is to engage the public so they have the awareness of such a device and begin to become familiar with the idea of managing their own information and not rely on their health practitioners to do so.
What steps are you and your family taking to ensure your safety? Don't continue to leave such an important part of your health care in the hands of others. Consider getting an electronic personal health record device for yourself and every member of your family.
One device the LIFECompass is user friendly and affordable.