Clin Lab - Patient Safety Flashcards
What is the estimated deaths/year are from medical accidents or medical errors?
250,000 - 400,000
What is the 3rd leading cause of death for adults?
medical accidents or medical error
What are the 1st two causes of death?
1st - MI
2nd - stroke
What is included in the statistics of medical accidents/errors?
Hospital-based errors
–> doesn’t account for outpatient errors
Types of errors
- Diagnostic
- Surgical
- Medications
- Systems issues
- Communication issues
Preventable adverse outcomes - healthcare-associated infections (HAI), falls, pressure ulcers, venous thromboembolism, delirium
What % of dx errors may affect total deaths?
10%
What % of dx errors are preventable?
20%
What is the leading type of malpractice case?
Diagnostic errors
Types of diagnostic errors
- Failure to diagnose
- Misdiagnosis
- Delay in diagnosis
What are the big 3 diagnostics that are missed?
- Cancer
- Vascular events - stroke, MI, dissection
- Infx
What is more seen in outpt for diagnostic errors?
not sending someone for FU & condition worsens
What is more seen in the ER for diagnostic errors?
stroke/MI
What are the factors that incr the likelihood of diagnostic error?
- Communication
- Cognitive shortcuts (“heuristics”)
- Unlikely presentation
- External stressors
- Bias
Examples of Communication factors that incr diagnostic error.
- Between providers
- Between patient & provider(s)
Examples of Cognitive shortcuts “heuristics” that incr diagnostic errors.
Anchoring
Availability bias
Premature closure
Context error
Describe anchoring
Hooked on a diagnosis & you have tunnel vision
Describe availability bias
Whatever we’ve recently seen we tend to dx other pts w/ those same sx (influenced)
Describe premature closure
Don’t make broad differential before considering all possibilities
Describe context error
Demographics, hx, social situation
Some studies have shown surgical errors may account for___ of all adverse events. How many pts?
- almost half
- 1 in 20 pts