May 6, 2016
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 34, No. 34
Medical errors preventable through quality improvement By Mikie Hayes hayesmi@musc.edu
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ore so than ever before, quality is a watchword in the medical world, thanks in part to the Institute of Medicine report, “To Err is Human,” that came out nearly 17 years ago. The report revealed a serious problem that required immediate attention, action and policy change: Medical errors were causing the preventable deaths of between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans each year. Quality experts today believe that while the seminal report was eye–opening, and critical in terms of advancing the badly–needed conversation, the figures were significantly underestimated. According to a 2013 study from the prestigious Journal of Patient Safety, the total is actually four times higher than originally thought: Medical errors in fact claim the lives of some 440,000 people each year — more than 1,000 people per day. These statistics earn this category the No.3 spot for deaths in the United States, bypassing strokes, diabetes, Alzheimer’s — everything except heart disease and all cancers combined, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Danielle Scheurer, M.D., MUSC chief quality officer, attributes the staggering numbers to “faulty systems, processes and conditions that lead people to make mistakes.” She believes that patients deserve freedom from preventable harm, and to achieve that goal, systems to decrease all errors and intercept them when they Scheurer occur are critical. Scheurer should know. It’s her job to ensure MUSC is meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of those it serves, delivering all and only
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Medical errors claim the lives of more than 1,000 people a day in the U.S. and are the third leading cause of death in the nation. MUSC is committed to quality and safety. the care that the patient and family need. Why are quality and safety important? By any measure, 440,000 annual deaths and $1 billion in costs are alarming. In a subsequent IOM report titled “Crossing the Quality Chasm,” released in 2001, six dimensions of health care quality and safety were outlined, providing a road map for quality improvement. MUSC, like other hospitals across the country, addressed deficiencies in quality improvement, implementing systems of checks and
MUSC Health Town Halls Hospital employees are invited to attend May Town Hall meetings. LIKE US
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balances to confront the problem head–on. Quality officers dedicated to improvement have become the norm, as are national organizations dedicated to quality improvement, examination and advancement. While quality experts in the new millennium are moving the field forward, much earlier on, there were those who pushed for medical quality to become its own field of study, recognizing the shortcomings of the health care system. In fact, 26 years prior to the
See Quality on page 3
Innovation Praised
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Medical Center Town Halls
Young investigators and junior faculty recognized.
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Meet Bridget
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Letter of Gratitude
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