Doctors making mistakes

Daily Dose
Archives

Exhausting your options for quality care

Asleep at the scalpel

If you've been a reader of mine for longer than a Twinkie's shelf-
life, you've heard me railing about how behind heart disease and
cancer, DOCTORS are the third-leading cause of death in the U.S.
(Daily Dose, 4/15/03). Well, here's another related item to add to
this "I've said-it-before" file...

But what's really scary is that this item SHOULD be from the
"obvious-to-anyone-with-half-a-brain" file. The fact that it isn't
gives me reason for great pause — but sadly, not great surprise. So
what's this "news flash," you're asking?

Tired doctors make more mistakes! No, really?

Yep, that's the finding of a Harvard University study (one that no
doubt cost a million bucks or so to conduct) of interns at cardiac
and medical ICUs at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Regardless of how obviously true this would seem to be, the
medical establishment is treating the research as some type of eye-
opening breakthrough. Indeed, this is the first study of its type ever
conducted, according to the AP article outlining the research.
Whether this is because mainstream medicine really is completely
clueless about the relationship between fatigue and doctor errors or
because it's such an obvious correlation that nobody has ever
bothered to officially quantify it before is irrelevant.

What IS relevant, however, is this: It's a known fact that medical
interns and residents commonly work shifts of ungodly length —
as much as 24 hours without a break. And true to form, the study
found that "long-shift" subjects committed FIVE TIMES AS
MANY DIAGNOSTIC ERRORS as their shorter-shift
counterparts...

They weren't just errors in diagnosis, either. In one instance, a
long-shifter ordered 10 times the correct dose of a powerful blood-
pressure drug. Another blunder caused a patient's lung to collapse
when a sleepy intern botched inserting a tube into a nearby artery.
In yet another instance (and the study only had 20 participants), a
tranquilizer overdose caused one patient to suffer a dangerously
low heartbeat and blood pressure.

This study's findings have spurred sweeping changes in the way
doctors are allowed to work in Brigham and Women's Hospital.
For instance, interns' shifts are now prohibited from exceeding 18
hours in a row (still an awful lot, if you ask me). But at least it's a
trend in the right direction.

But all this begs the question: WHY do interns and residents work
such long shifts?

**************************************************************
ULCERS GONE FOR GOOD

Want to make your ulcer worse? Take antacids. Want to make it better
in no time? Take the natural breakthrough called DGL that actually
strengthens your stomach's natural lining while healing existing ulcers.

You also can halt a brutal cold in five minutes... open clogged arteries...
and ease the pain of arthritis. It's easy when you have the secrets from
Dr. Mark Stengler, doctor to the stars, sports heroes and CEOs.

Read on...
(This product is currently not available outside of the U.S. and Canada)

http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/offers/order_npht_mag_b.html?sk=166603&sid=A112204A1A

**************************************************************

The healthcare nightmare we should ALL wake up from

Hospitals would be quick to tell you that the reasons they work
their interns like slaves (as many as 30 hours in a row, according to
the study) is to train them rigorously "under fire" so they can
handle the pressure and strain of a massive crisis — like a terror
attack.

Obviously, though, it's really nothing more than a strategy for
keeping costs down. After all, why should hospitals pay additional
doctors when they can just double-up the shifts of the LEAST
EXPERIENCED staffers they've got (the article cites an average
80-hour work week for interns)?

Oh, I don't know — maybe because your LIFE depends on it?

What's also funny is this paradox: If keeping more doctors off
hospital payrolls really saved money, how come the average cost
of health-care premiums jumped more than 11% in the last year,
according to the latest data from providers? Could it be because of
the huge number of lawsuits these sleepwalking interns incur with
their blunders? Again, it all comes down to dollars, not sense —
and you're paying the price.

One thing is for sure in my mind, though. Whatever the ideal
balance of hospital payroll vs. lawsuit liability from the bean
counters' point of view should be irrelevant. All that SHOULD
matter to hospitals, insurance companies, and individual doctors is
rendering the best possible care to patients...

That means not dozing off or zoning out while they're doing it.

Never sleeping on MY job as whistle-blower,

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

**************************************************************
KEEP YOUR BODY YOUNG, ALIVE & FULLY FUNCTIONING

New research reveals revolutionary sound technology - the
same technology that enhances memory - can dramatically
increase longevity, slow aging and lower stress. This sound
technology can actually put you - very safely, quickly and
easily - into states of...

* Deep stress release and relaxation
* Superlearning
* Dramatically enhanced creativity
* Laser-beam focus and concentration
* Enhanced memory
* Increased feelings of well-being

Learn more about how you can improve your health and keep
your body young and alive, visit:

http://www.youreletters.com/t/78165/3047667/645273/0/

Health Disclaimer! The information provided on this site should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this site. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.