Any surgery has risks, even those we think of as routine. We often don’t think twice about scheduling some procedures for our children because they are so common they seem to be harmless; and, of course, the vast majority of us would never knowingly subject our children to harm. But…
Blood infections in newborn babies in South Carolina were reduced by up to 58 percent in hospitals where intensive care workers used safety checklists, a new study shows. The checklists covered the steps to be taken when blood catheters were inserted in an infant’s vein or artery. If the procedure…
According to a new report from the National Institutes of Health, whether someone treated for heart failure ends up being readmitted to a hospital is more closely tied to income level and community than to how sick they are or how well a hospital treats patients. The research, which was…
It seems the saying “location, location, location” may be important to remember in more contexts than real estate, according to the findings of a few recent health studies. One of the most significant studies focused on survival rates for heart attacks across the U.S. The study, led by researchers at…
A recent study that looked at more than 19,000 operations found that the costs of medical care in the U.S. aren’t at all uniform–for example, you could be charged anywhere from $1,500 to $180,000 for the same type of surgery. The study, carried out by researchers in California, compared the…
A recent study conducted in Spain showed that almost eight percent of fatally ill patients didn’t receive necessary treatment because they were misdiagnosed. Unfortunately, these mistakes were discovered only after the patients had died, during an examination of the deceased, commonly known as an autopsy. The Spanish study looked at…
A recent report about robotic drug dispensers, a kind of technology used more and more often in hospitals, found that the dispensers may be more likely to contain harmful bacteria, and be able to spread those bacteria to medications and patients. According to the report, hospital staff in North Carolina…
Controversy has accompanied recent overhauls and changes to the medical system in the United States. The switch to electronic health records (or EHRs) and other digital systems seem to be at the heart of much of the controversy. Recent articles about the safety and security of EHRs have questioned how…
News of dangerous bacterial infections, large Medicare fraud and other breakdowns in patient safety and care in our healthcare system haunted this year’s Patient Safety Awareness Week. Now, recent findings show, the privacy and safety of your information might be another hidden healthcare danger. Though doctors and healthcare advocates agree…
South Carolina, ranked sixth in the nation in infant mortality, has announced a new effort to reduce infant mortality by ensuring the health of mothers on Medicaid. Physicians, hospitals and state agencies will help mothers seek treatment for substance abuse, depression and domestic violence. The program, entitled Screening, Brief Intervention…