Hospital Safety Still an Issue

By Christopher Walker
Nov 25 2010

A study released yesterday on hospitals in the US showed that safety is still lacking in most locations where mistakes are becoming a problem.

US hospitals have been fraught with claims of mistakes that cost lives in recent years, as the number of new doctors has declined. This is further complicated by the fact that most doctors are taking on more patients, creating further mistakes.

The report also shows that the mistakes could have been avoided should the hospitals taken proper precautions and followed proper protocols. But the systems in most hospitals are lacking in proper safeguards to save on time and money in most cases.

The report, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, outlines the changes that should be made to the safety procedures to ensure that all patients receive the proper care.

Under the current protocols, doctors are allowed to work as many hours as necessary. The new guidelines that have been laid out by a field of doctors would limit the number of hours per week that any doctor could work.

However, only the federal government can install new regulations. Thus far the hospitals have not been receptive to the ideas that have been laid out by the doctors. Most hospitals are struggling to stay ahead of growing patient numbers and decreasing insurance payments that threaten the very nature of the medical field.

At this point the ratings for US hospitals are still below what the medical leaders believe they should be in terms of safety.