PATIENT SAFETY : WHY?

THEERAPAN SONGNUY DOCTOR OF MEDICINE ( CHULALONGKORN U.) BOARD OF PEDIATRIC ALLERGY & IMMUNOLOGY CERTIFICATE OF FAMILY MEDICINE MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH ( MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH ) TULANE U, USA

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/us-safety-idUSTRE76K45R20110721

Going into hospital far riskier than flying: WHOGoing into hospital far riskier than flying: WHO

Admission to hospital in any country... your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10

Pic hospital

Admission to hospital in any country... your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10 : WHO

“Your chances of dying due to an error in health care would be 1 in 300”

Donaldson, formerly England's chief medical officer

A risk of dying in an air crash of about 1 in 10 million passengers

More than 50 percent of acquired infections can be prevented if health care workers clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based handrub before treating patients

More than 50 % of acquired infections can be prevented by hand washing before treating

patients

Quality of life

http://www.yourmedicaldetective.com/public/335.cfm

Economic burden

Increased length of stay

Sueing medical personnel

Hospital-acquired infections

Complications

Disabilities

Income lost

Medical care expenses

6-29 Billion US Dollars / year

Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS, eds. To err is human : building a safer health system. Washington DC, Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine, National Academies Press, 1999.

The US Health Statistic Comparing with others

Out of 13 countries in a recent comparison, the United States ranks an average of 12th (second from the bottom) for 16 available health indicators.

More specifically, the ranking of the U.S. on several indicators was:

- 13th (last) for low-birth-weight percentages

- 13th for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall

- 13th for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes)

- 11th for life expectancy, at 1 year for females, 12th for males

http://www.yourmedicaldetective.com/public/335.cfm

"Health care is a high-risk business, inevitably, because people are sick and modern health care is delivered in a fast-moving, high-pressured environment involving a lot of complex technology and a lot of people," Donaldson said.