The use of unnecessary oxygen and the prolonged hospital stays add significantly to health care costs and, of course, lead to tremendous economic and emotional costs of preventable chronic conditions.
Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is the most frequent procedure performed in U.S. hospitals, with one in ten inpatients receiving one or more units.1 RBC transfusions rates or practices are highly variable by institution,
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report:
Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections
These guidelines have been developed for practitioners who insert catheters and for persons responsible for surveillance and control of infections in hospital,
Medical errors, defined as a preventable adverse event or effect of care, are a leading cause of death in the United States—exceeding deaths attributable to motor vehicle accidents,1 breast cancer,2 and heart failure.3 They include inaccurate or incomplete diagnosis or treatment,
Complications are inevitable and they are not always avoidable or the result of errors. However, when a patient dies because of a complication that was not recognized in a timely manner or treated appropriately,