Diagnostic Errors Afflict 7% Of Patients In Hospital Setting, Study Finds
Researchers led by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston also found that most of those mistakes can be prevented, noting: "It is paramount to note that it is not one individual or process that is at fault." Other news is about lead paint exposure, app addiction, IV fluid supply, and more.
Newsweek:
One In 14 American Patients May Be Harmed By Hospital Diagnosis Mistakes
Harmful diagnostic errors may occur for as many as one in every 14 hospital patients receiving medical care, a new study based on a single medical center in the U.S. has found. As many as 85 percent of these errors may be preventable, highlighting the need for improved surveillance in hospital settings. ... In their study, published in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety, [Anuj Dalal, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and lead author on the study] and colleagues concluded that, based on this sample from a single medical center, harmful diagnostic errors occurred in 7 percent of patients, or one in 14, receiving general medical care. They added that the majority of these errors were preventable. (Dewan, 10/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Medical Records Are A Mess. Here’s How Technology Can Help Make Sense Of Them
The digital revolution in healthcare was supposed to transform the patient experience. It would make it easy for patients to access their electronic medical records, manage their care via patient portals and mobile apps, and protect their privacy. It has a long way to go. (Landro, 10/24)
Becker's Hospital Review:
AHA, FBI Partner To Mitigate Healthcare Targeted Violence: 4 Things To Know
The American Hospital Association and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit have collaborated to create resources to mitigate targeted violence in healthcare settings, including threat assessment and prevention strategies. Healthcare industry workers experience the highest rate of injury from workplace violence and are five times as likely to suffer a workplace violence injury compared to workers overall, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Gregerson, 10/24)
Also —
AP:
EPA Imposes Stricter Standards To Protect Children From Exposure To Lead Paint
Two weeks after setting a nationwide deadline for removal of lead pipes, the Biden administration is imposing strict new limits on dust from lead-based paint in older homes and child-care facilities. A final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency sets limits on lead dust on floors and window sills in pre-1978 residences and child-care facilities to levels so low they cannot be detected. (Daly, 10/24)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
EPA Fines NH Developer For Violating Lead Paint Rules
One of the largest property developers on New Hampshire’s Seacoast has been fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for violating lead paint rules. Chinburg Management LLC and Washington Street Mill LLC are being fined $42,000 after a family with a young child living in their property was alerted by state health officials that the child’s blood had elevated levels of lead. Inspectors found lead-based paint and hazards in the family’s home. (Hoplamazian, 10/24)
Bloomberg:
Meta, Google, TikTok Must Face School Districts’ Suits Over Addiction Claims
Meta Platforms Inc., Google, TikTok and Snap will have to face lawsuits brought by school districts in federal court blaming their “addictive” apps for contributing to a mental health crisis among students. The ruling Thursday by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, follows a contrasting June 7 decision by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in favor of the companies. The split leaves the platforms potentially on the hook for damages in more than 150 cases before Rogers even as they’re poised to dodge liability for claims in more than 600 other cases filed in Los Angeles. (Poritz, 10/25)
CIDRAP:
GAO Report Shows How US Schools Spent Pandemic Relief Funds, Including On Better Ventilation
A new report from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) concludes that, by the end of the 2021-22 school year, US school districts had spent about $60 billion in federal COVID-19 emergency aid through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. Eighty percent of this money was used to address students' social-emotional needs and to keep schools running, while 20% went to addressing health concerns, including improving ventilation, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, and hiring school psychologists. (Soucheray, 10/24)
The Hechinger Report:
Kids With Obesity Do Worse In School. One Reason May Be Teacher Bias
Almost every day at the public elementary school she attended in Montgomery County, Maryland, Stephanie heard comments about her weight. Kids in her fifth grade class called her “fatty” instead of her name, she recalled; others whispered, “Do you want a cupcake?” as she walked by. One classmate spread a rumor that she had diabetes. Stephanie was so incensed by his teasing that she hit him and got suspended, she said. But nothing the kids did upset her as much as the conduct of her teachers.
For years teachers ignored her in class, even when she was the only one raising her hand, said Stephanie, whose surname is being withheld to protect her privacy. “I was like, ‘Do you not like me or something?” she recalled. (Cardoza, 10/23)
NPR:
Youth Cheerleading Is Getting More Athletic — And Riskier
Dr. Amy Xu got hooked on cheerleading in the fifth grade. As she pursued the sport in high school and college, she witnessed how the routines started demanding increasingly complex acrobatic feats — tall human towers and tumbling passes with many twists and flips.It wasn’t unusual for her and her teammates to get concussions and other injuries. (Huang, 10/24)
Reuters:
Baxter Expects To Restart IV Fluids Line At Hurricane-Hit Plant Within Next Week
Medical device maker Baxter (BAX.N) said on Thursday it expects to restart the highest-throughput intravenous solutions manufacturing line at a hurricane-hit plant in North Carolina within the next week. The temporary closure last month of the Marion site, which makes 60% of the nation's supply of IV fluids and peritoneal dialysis solutions as per the American Hospital Association, had triggered a shortage of intravenous products. (10/24)
CIDRAP:
CDC Traces Legionnaires' Outbreaks On 2 Cruise Ships To Hot Tubs
From November 2022 to June 2024, 12 cases of Legionnaires' disease were reported to the CDC among travelers on two cruise ships, with eight on ship A and four on ship B. The ship A outbreak was the largest cruise Legionnaires' disease outbreak that the CDC had investigated since 2008. Legionnaires' is a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. (Van Beusekom, 10/24)
