2 Million and Rising: Real-Time Counter Reveals Number of U.S. Patients Harmed
(PRWEB) March 20, 2014 -- Every 5.25 seconds, a patient in a U.S. hospital suffers preventable harm.
This harm will contribute to the death of as many as 400,000 Americans this year.
Based on statistics extrapolated from the Journal of Patient Safety, the Synensis website has added a real-time counter tracking the number of U.S. patients harmed since January 1, 2014.
“Organizations such as the Institute of Medicine have attempted to estimate preventable adverse effects since the 1990s. Synensis is the first to present these statistics in an online tracker. Watching the numbers rise in real-time draws attention to the human cost. It’s more compelling than a static snapshot published by a medical journal,” says Stephen Powell, Synensis Chief Executive Officer.
Since January 1 of this year, the number of patients harmed tops 2 million in the U.S. alone. In developing countries, an estimated 1 in 10 patients experience preventable harm when undergoing medical care.
Healthcare experts define preventable adverse events as unexpected harm to a patient during hospitalization. The root cause of this harm falls into five categories: errors of commission (example: providing the wrong medication); errors of omission (example: failure to treat an infection); errors of communication (example: members of the health care team failing to share data); contextual errors (example: giving discharge after-care instructions to someone who is cognitively impaired without involving a caregiver); and diagnostic errors, which lead to ineffective care or lack of treatment.
According to Powell, the patient harm counter represents the magnitude of the problem, but it may in fact be underreporting the problem.
“Errors of commission are the easiest to track. Experts analyze a variety of sources, including patients with conditions not present on admission, nursing reviews, medical incident reports and the number of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge. However, some harm, such as infections, may not show up for weeks or months, and may not be tracked.”
How much of the counter’s 2014 toll is attributable to better monitoring and how much is due to mounting problems in the healthcare system is debatable. Contributing to overall risks are a host of challenges, including an already compromised aging population, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, staffing shortages, and productivity pressures to speed workflow and push invasive procedures to generate revenue.
The exact percentage of errors that is truly preventable is also hard to pinpoint, but virtually every healthcare system can improve. As a tool to help organizations take the first step toward eliminating preventable harm, Synensis offers a free Healthy Organization Performance Evaluation (HOPE) at http://www.synensishealth.com/vitality-assessment/.
About Synensis:
Synensis was formed to create healthier organizations, improve the quality of healthcare around the world, and help save thousands of lives each year. We provide the tools, knowledge, coaching and training to make every member of the healthcare team more effective. Together we transform healthcare systems to become safer places for patients and more satisfying workplaces for those who care for them.
Media Contact:
Richard Stone, MS Chief Innovation Officer Phone (678) 369-6317
Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.synensis.com Twitter: @SynensisHealth
Connie Hicks, Synensis, LLC, http://www.synensishealth.com, +1 6783696317 Ext: 123, [email protected]
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