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Electronic Medical Records: No Cure-All for Medical Errors
Tweet Share on Facebook December 23, 2010 Comment (3)Even though it happened several years ago, I still experience a visceral feeling of guilt and embarrassment when I recall the time I almost prescribed the wrong type of antibiotics for a patient's inner ear infection. As medical errors go, this would not have been that big a deal. Although the medication would have been completely useless for treating her infection, she wasn't likely to suffer serious side effects, or have her condition worsen from a delay in receiving appropriate treatment, since many inner ear infections resolve on their own.
What bothered me about this particular mistake was that I knew perfectly well that oral antibiotics—not eardrops—were the best choice and knew which one to prescribe, but had accidentally clicked on the wrong choice in my electronic medical record system, leading to the wrong prescription being printed. Fortunately, I was able to recognize this mistake before the patient left the office, hurriedly hand-write the correct prescription, and after apologizing, explain the reason for the switch.
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Why Screening for Colorectal Cancer Shouldn't Be a Hard Sell
Tweet Share on Facebook December 13, 2010 Comment (5)Breast and prostate cancer screening tests may dominate headlines, but in terms of the quality of the scientific evidence that early detection saves lives, there are no better cancer screening tests than those for colorectal cancer, or cancer of the large intestine. One in 20 adults will develop colorectal cancer during his or her lifetime, and detecting it before symptoms occur substantially improves a patient’s chances of survival. Nevertheless, 57,000 people in the United States still die from colorectal cancer every year; in fact, more men under age 75 will lose their lives this year to colorectal cancer than to prostate cancer.
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Your Doctor's Role in Helping You Change Your Health Habits
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2010 Comment (2)I once used to see patients in a clinical practice located next door to a popular fast food restaurant. My office hours usually began in the early afternoon and ended about 9 p.m. Whenever I was pressed for time or hadn't packed a dinner, I'd run over to the restaurant to grab a burger, french fries, and soda, and many of my colleagues did the same. As we exchanged guilty looks while sneaking in through the back entrance of the office, I'd often find myself wondering if my counseling patients to eat healthier foods was actually making any difference.
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