RESEARCHERS
FROM JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY DID AN EXTENSIVE STUDY LOOKING
AT THE ISSUES OF MEDICAL ERRORS AND THE NUMBER OF LIVES THAT
WERE LOST IN THE UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR BECAUSE OF THESE
ERRORS.
THESE ERRORS INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO GO TO THE HOSPITAL
TO GET TREATMENT FOR ONE THING, OR TO HAVE SURGERY FOR
SOMETHING AND THEN UNFORTUNATELY BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE HOSPITAL
AND BECAUSE OF NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER ERRORS THEY SUFFER
CONSEQUENCES NOT EVEN RELATED TO WHY THEY WERE
IN THE HOSPITAL
IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THE PERSON
WHO LED THE STUDY, HIS RESEARCH
INVOLVES
A COMPETITIVE STUDY.
I GIVE YOU THOSE DETAILS BECAUSE
THIS WASN'T DONE BY SOME SCHMUCK, THIS WAS DONE BY
RESEARCHERS
THAT LOOKED AT STUDIES AND CAME UP WITH THIS CONCLUSION.THE
RESULTS ARE DEVASTATING.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE STORIES WHERE WE
COME ACROSS A PROBLEM, AND I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THE
SOLUTION IS.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE RESEARCHERS DON'T HAVE SOLUTIONS
EITHER.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THEY BRING UP THAT THERE ISN'T A
STANDARDIZED WAY OF PREVENTING THESE ERRORS.
SO, YOU HAVE THE
AVIATION INDUSTRY AND THERE ARE STANDARDIZED WAYS TO ENSURE THAT
PEOPLE DON'T DIE, RIGHT.
THEY ARE SAYING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE
A UNIFORM POLICY FOR HOSPITALS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
I
DON'T KNOW HOW TRUE THAT IS, BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES THEY
BROUGHT UP.
>> YEAH, IT'S REALLY TOUGH.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU
FIX IT EITHER.
I AM CONFIDENT THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW, IF
ANY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE WHO GO TO WORK SAYING I
WANT THE HOSPITAL TO FAIL THE PATIENT.
>>OF COURSE.
>> I DON'T THINK THAT IS A PROBLEM.
I THINK IT IS HOSPITAL TO HOSPITAL.
IT'S DIFFICULT.
THERE HOSPITALS THAT ARE VERY REPUTABLE THAT ARE
STILL TRAINING PEOPLE, MEDICAL STUDENTS, AND HOW TO PERFORM
MEDICAL PROCEDURES.
THERE WAS ONE STUDY THAT CAME OUT YEARS
AGO THAT FIRST BROUGHT THIS TO THE FOREFRONT.
SINCE THEN THEY
SAY THAT THE ONE MAJOR STRIDE THAT HAS BEEN MADE IS PREVENTING
INFECTIONS THAT HAPPEN IN THE HOSPITAL.
THE OTHER SIDE OF IT
IS THIS IS ALSO KNOWN AS A LITIGIOUS SOCIETY.
IF YOU TALK
TO ANY DOCTOR OUT THERE, I HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO ARE DOCTORS, IT
IS THE MALPRACTICE INSURANCE IS ASTRONOMICAL.
SOME WILL SAY IT
HAS COME DOWN OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, IT IS STILL TOUGH.
WHY
WOULD YOU ADMIT WHEN YOU HAVE DONE WRONG IF YOU HAVE DONE
WRONG FROM A FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW?
THERE ARE THESE THINGS
THAT WE HAVE TO AT LEAST CALL OUT EVEN IF WE ARE NOT ACCUSING
EVERY ANYONE OF THEM.
WE NEED TO FIND A WAY THAT REINFORCES OUR
PRIORITIES HEALTH, OUR PRIORITY IS NOT GETTING YOU IN TROUBLE.
WE JUST NEED TO FIX THIS, EVEN IF IT MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE OR
EMBARRASSING.
>>YES, THAT WAS ANOTHER THING.
I'M GLAD YOU
BROUGHT THAT UP.
ONE OF THE OTHER ISSUES THE RESEARCHERS
BROUGHT UP IS THAT IF THERE ARE MISTAKES MADE IN OTHER
INDUSTRIES, LET'S SAY AVIATION, THOSE MISTAKES HAVE TO BE
REPORTED.
ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY REPORTED ISN'T JUST TO
GET PEOPLE IN TROUBLE, IT'S TO PREVENT MISTAKES OR ERRORS
FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE.
APPARENTLY THERE IS A LACK OF
TRANSPARENCY IN THE MEDICAL FIELD WHEN IT COMES TO THESE
ISSUES.
I DON'T THINK THAT ANY OF THESE ERRORS ARE DONE
BECAUSE OF MALICIOUS INTENT.
THIS IS NOT TO BLAME DOCTORS
OR NURSES TO DEMONIZE THEM IN ANYWAY.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
MISTAKES HAPPEN IN EVERY JOB.
THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS
FIND STRATEGIES OF PREVENTING IT FROM HAPPENING.
>> ON THAT NOTE OF IT BEING THE BOTTOM LINE AND HAVING TO PAY
ATTENTION TO
FINANCIAL REPERCUSSIONS, IT IS DEEPLY A FINANCIAL PROBLEM ON
ONE END.
A LOT OF THESE PLACES WERE FOUND TO BE UNDERSTAFFED,
UNDER RESOURCED IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF MANY
PATIENTS AT ONE TIME, BUT ALSO HAVING SOMEONE LIKE A PATIENT
ADVOCATE, OR SOMEONE TO MONITOR WHAT IS GOING ON.
IN THIS REPORT
WE ALSO HAD CONSUMER REPORTS SAYING THAT AFTER INVESTIGATING
CALIFORNIA LICENSING RECORDS THEY FOUND MANY DOCTORS THAT
WERE PRACTICING WERE ON PROBATION FOR SERIOUS
VIOLATIONS OF PATIENT SAFETY.
NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO
THAT EITHER.
I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A BOLSTERING OF
RESOURCES, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO PAY ATTENTION.
>>IT IS TOUGH.
THERE ARE SO MANY LAYERS THAT GO INTO THE PROCESS OF GETTING
TREATMENT.
ANYBODY WHO HAS CHANGED DOCTORS KNOWS THAT IT
JUST SEEMS INTUITIVE THAT MY RECORDS SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE.
BUT
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIND THEM OR GET THEM TO A NEW PERSON.
I
DON'T KNOW WHEN I GOT A TETANUS SHOT.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF ISSUES
IN THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY THAT WE NEED TO DEAL WITH.
ONE OF THEM
IS ñ MILLENNIAL'S GOT SURVEYED ABOUT HEALTHCARE AND WHAT THEY
DEMAND, WHAT THEY WANT CHANGED ABOUT THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY.
ONE THING WAS TRANSPARENCY ABOUT THE COST OF THE PROCEDURES
UPFRONT.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE A PROCEDURE DONE AND THEN ALL OF
A SUDDEN YOU GET A BILL IN THE MAIL FOR $500.
AND YOU ARE LIKE WAIT, I JUST WENT IN FOR A PAP SMEAR.
THE
FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE DEFENSIVE AGAINST THAT DEMAND IS HILARIOUS
TO ME.
YES, YOU WANT TO KNOW THE PRICE OF SOMETHING BEFORE YOU
BUY IT.
>>THAT IS REAL.
I WENT IN BECAUSE I HAD VERTIGO.
THE
PERSON DID WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A BS PROCESS ON ME WHICH INVOLVES
LAYING BACK, TURNING YOUR HEAD, AND MOVING FORWARD.
IT SOUNDS
LIKE WITCHCRAFT, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY A THING THEY DO.
THEY
DID OFFER ME GREEN TEA.
>>DID YOU GO TO A DOCTOR?
>>HE WASN'T A DOCTOR, HE WAS A CHIROPRACTOR.
AT THE END THEY
SAID YOUR DEDUCTIBLE IS $3500, AND YOU NEED TO GIVE THAT TO US
NOW.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO.
I JUST STARTED SHOUTING
UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO LEAVE WITHOUT PAYING ANYBODY.
BUT
THAT IS VERY REAL.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
MEANWHILE MY FRIEND
WAS ON VACATION IN MEXICO, SLIT HIS HEAD OPEN, GOT FOUR
STITCHES, AND IT COST HIM $10 WITH AN AMBULANCE.
>> THERE ARE LOTS OF ISSUES WITH THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY.
THIS IS NOT MEANT TO
DEMONIZE ANYONE.
I THINK PEOPLE GET VERY TOUCHY ABOUT THIS
TOPIC BECAUSE IT PAINTS A NEGATIVE PICTURE OF HEALTHCARE
PROVIDERS, OF DOCTORS, NURSES.
THAT IS NOT MEANT TO BE THE
POINT OF THE STORY.
WE ARE MEANT TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT A
SERIOUS ISSUE.
250,000 LIVES A YEAR IS NO JOKE.
WE DO NEED TO
FIND A SOLUTION AND THERE NEEDS TO BE AN OPEN DIALOGUE ABOUT IT.