I was reading in the paper that in Falls Church, Virginia, a woman who swapped beds with another patient in their hospital room, to be nearer the window, died because she was given the wrong type of blood during surgery. The hospital spokesman said that the technician didn't follow rules to check the ID wristband, and have the patient state their name. This is so sad.

Once a nurse was ready to give me the wrong med, but when she handed it to me, she called the name first, and I said no, that's not me.

I had another very embarassing error happen to me once, that I believe the nurse would have been suspended, if I had reported it, because she had caused me and my family a few minutes of due stress and worry.

Have anything wrong ever happened to you from human error, while you were in the hospital/doctor's office? It is of utmost importance, to know what's supposed to be going on with you and if you are too sick, your family should know.
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08-31-03, 05:49 PM
Tree
OMG that's awful, honilov!

A friend of mine has another man on his street with the same name. First AND last - very unusual, but true. They also have the same doctor. When he went into the hospital for a hernia operation..... THEY had the OTHER guys file out! It took quite awhile before they had it all sorted out!!

Can you imagine?? I wonder what kind of operation the OTHER guy was scheduled for that they may have performed on my friend ??

Eek

08-31-03, 07:48 PM
honilov
I'm sure human error have caused a lot of deaths, that only the doctors/nurses knew about. Frown

08-31-03, 09:41 PM
Tree
Taking all into consideration...
that old movie "Hospital" - the slap stick comedy depicting chaos in hospitals - is not ALL fiction!

Makes me want to cringe!

Eek

09-01-03, 01:15 AM
Sherasi
Mistakes DO happen of course. Humans make errors... unfortunately to the detriment of other people in dangerous fields like medicine.

We (professionals) TRY not to make mistakes, but it does happen. Frown

My family has ALSO been on the receiving end of mistakes. Eek

09-01-03, 12:36 PM
honilov
Sherasi, as long as the professionals don't try to cover it up, it is understandable. Smile

Frankly Sherasi, I was so sick once that I did lose track of what was happening to me, but I do remember that a technician stopped up my picc line, by putting something in it, and I had to go through the pain of having another line inserted, because of him doing that. I vaguely remembered that nothing was supposed to be inserted in the line, but I was very dazed, and couldn't say anything. He was in a hurry and took advantage of my sickness. Frown

09-01-03, 03:21 PM
MommyTimesTwo
I could not begin to list things that have happened to me because of errors by doctors, nurses, and technicians. Most medical professionals are just that, professionals. But it only takes one mistake to ruin someone's life.

Case in point--I had an illness that was very common in older women, but strongly genetic in my family, starting at age 5. My doctor decided that I was making up my symptoms because he couldn't immediately discover what was wrong with me, and I ended up going for fourteen years being told I had mental disorders and being treated like a fruitcake because I felt sick and the doctor didn't believe me. After I was finally diagnosed (by another doctor--I changed doctors as soon as I was 18 and insurance would let me) I got my records from the first doctor and found he knew for FIVE YEARS before I changed doctors that I had this disease. He didn't treat it becuase, I beleive, it would have shown him to be wrong.

When I confronted him with that and all the physical and mental repercussions his actions (or inactions) caused me, he said, "Well I'm sorry you feel that way, but I did nothing wrong. You must have gotten the illness in the two months between your last visit with me and your first visit with the other doctor."

Ignoring the medical chart showing the disease in my blood work, a human thyroid does not go from normal size to 5 inches long, nearly half a pound, and containing 5 tumours in two months!

09-01-03, 03:49 PM
honilov
OMG MommyTimesTwo, that's just awful. Frown

09-01-03, 04:30 PM
MommyTimesTwo
Yeah, it was. Actually, I wrote a story about it that's going to be in an upcoming issue of Woman's World, and I'm halfway done with a book on it too. So in the end, it's kind of profitable. But I'd still rather have not gone through it.

09-01-03, 04:54 PM
LaPisLaZuLi
Mommyx2....That's a great example of the saying: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

I just had an experience in the hospital this year, when I went in for a gallbladder operation.

I have asthma, and I am allergic to albuterol, which is the usual inhaler that is prescribed. While in the hospital, I became short of breath and called the nurse to ask for my inhaler, and she came back a few minutes later with a white inhaler. She handed it to me and said she'd be back (they were very busy that day and the nursing staff is extremely short handed). Just as she reached the door I asked, "Is this albuterol?"
She turned back to me and replied that it was.
I pointed to the big red wristband on my wrist and said, "I'm allergic to it."
The poor girl looked so alarmed, she ran back in and looked at my wristband, then at the inhaler and said she'd be back.

Well, on the doctor's orders it specifically said to give me alupent, not albuterol. But the pharmacy had sent albuterol for me. Now, I've worked in hospitals. This is the first one I've ever been at where the pharmacy closes. Every hospital I've ever been in has had a pharmacist on duty 24 hours. I ended up drinking some coffee, and that helped me breath a little easier. There was no alupent to be had until the pharmacist came back on duty at 8am, or so I was told.

I figured if worse came to worse, I'd take matters into my own hands and I'd just walk my butt down to the ER and check myself in there for a breathing treatment.

I'm sure that would have caused a big stir.

It's a good thing I was alert and able to speak up for myself.

I did send a note off to the administration advising them that they need more nurses. The nursing shortage here is really critical. Frown
A person can only work so many double shifts before their judgement is impaired.

09-01-03, 05:18 PM
mattlynda
mommyx2
when that issue comes out, let us know!
i read womans world a couple times a month, i want to be sure i get that one!

as for human error, i had some tests done before trying a new form of medication; the medication can cause miscarriages, so a pregnancy test is done.
another lady was in right after me for a pregnancy test also, they had been trying for a few years with no luck.

when i got my test results back, i was told i was pregnant!
turns out the tech girl had mislabled our tests.
it wasnt that bad for me, it was only a couple more days before i could get another test and then get on the new meds, but i cant imagine the other poor lady, who was told she wasnt pregnant, and hoping she was, and all the while she really was!

09-01-03, 06:16 PM
honilov
It's very interesting reading about all the human errors that have happened to us. I hope this will make people be more alert whenever they are in a medical situation. Look out for yourself, and ask plenty of questions.

This is not really human error, but I was in a hospital bed next to the window, and the patient in the next bed died. They pulled my curtain, and I was like that for at least an hour, while they waited for the coroner(sp) to get there and examine the corpse. That was awful, and the explanation that they gave me was...when a patient dies, they usually move the other patient to another room, but they didn't have an available bed. Frown

09-01-03, 07:13 PM
samantha
Mommy let me know to..and i know how well things happen im a RN and my dads a doctor and I have heard some horror stories. I feel for all of you.
09-01-03, 07:15 PM
MommyTimesTwo
Third or fourth issue in November, but they aren't sure which yet.

09-01-03, 07:43 PM
mattlynda
thanks! ill be sure to grab them both, just to make sure.

09-01-03, 07:46 PM
Wildflower63
The usual problem is too much work and not enough nurses. They wont hire them. You have to fly through drug passes. I use a marker and put the name and bed on the cup. I ask alert people if they are Mr. or Mrs. so and so before handing it to them. If they look strange or hesitate, I take it away from them. I ask if it looks like their usual medicine. People are sometimes senile and will answer to any name you call them. Those people, I double check name bands always. I have caught myself with errors at times.

If you just do a quick check and wait for the person to identify themselves and look at the pills, it sure avoids a heart attack for myself and possible harm to them. You have to always double check wrist bands with people that cannot answer for themselves. If you do the 5R's of medication, it prevents an error from being a medication mistake. It does take more time, but is worth it.

Hospitals and health care facilities wonder why there is a shortage of nurses. It demands that you are ten places at once. You are always perfect. The workload is unbelivable. I have been horrified by mistakes I could have made. I'm as careful as I can be.

If there are two people in a room and I approach one person addressing them as the other, they point it out. I'm ready to die. But, at least I checked before handing to them. I beat myself up for being so stupid.

It's a very hard job and not enough hours in the shift to get everything done. Many nurses opt out of the profession because of this. I strongly object to allowing people to work double shifts in the health care profession. You get tired and you attention span isn't what it should be. That creates a danger in my opinion. I won't do more than an eight hour shift.

09-01-03, 11:26 PM
MommyTimesTwo

quote:Originally posted by Wildflower63:
Many nurses opt out of the profession because of this. I strongly object to allowing people to work double shifts in the health care profession. You get tired and you attention span isn't what it should be. That creates a danger in my opinion. I won't do more than an eight hour shift.



I agree totally. When I was a CNA, we and the nurses were pressured into working double shifts every night. I actually kept the pay stub--one week in August I worked 16 hours, every single day that week. Do you really think I would have been capable of handing out medication? By Sunday I couldn't even drive. Thank God I wasn't a nurse, but nurses were being pressured to do the same things.

And on top of that, fewer and fewer people are going into nursing, because it's a hard job that doesn't pay well enough--certainly not enough for what you do. There's something wrong with a society that pays someone who stands there and sings millions, but someone who saves lives makes $23000/year.

09-02-03, 07:10 AM
Sherasi
Mx2, got no aurgument from ME!!

I worked at a hospital and my shift was 12 hours! Once they insisted that I stay another shift!!! Even though there were nurses who had only worked 8 hours that night! (I worked 7pm to 7am regularly as a normal shift and THAT was a rough shift anyway!!)

09-02-03, 04:06 PM
MommyTimesTwo
Sherasi

Let's put it this way--I was a CNA for a number of years, my mother is an LPN, and my sister is an RN. I'm going to be an accountant.

09-02-03, 11:21 PM
jejelale
When my sister had her first child, he was brought to her to be fed. He wouldn't latch on to her. About 10 minutes later, the nurse came into the room and told her she was given the wrong baby.This was only 7 years ago. SCARY!!!!!!

09-02-03, 11:46 PM
Sherasi
OMG.......

09-03-03, 03:26 AM
samantha
I know this too. I worked at a big hospital for the one year of my career..I worked on the vascular floor. I know we worked 12 hour shifts and it was a long shift. I would not want to go back to working an 8 hour one. Tho, anything over that is way to much and your right that is when more mistakes are made. We were short handed and tired. I worked night shift.

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