June 9th, 2010 by AlanDappenMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Primary Care Wednesdays, True Stories
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As a medical student in his last year, I can attest that my classmates and I would like nothing less than a crystal ball. Always a daunting time in a future physician’s career path, the direction we point ourselves as we launch out of medical school this year seems as arbitrary as ever.
As we examine the rolling seas of medicine and try to determine our individual paths, there seem to be more clouds than blue skies, and certainly more shadows than light. This may or may not be a feeling many prospective physicians feel, but for the class of 2010 it comes as a tough pill to swallow. In a profession at the heart of a national policy debate and with a storied history to examine, it’s extremely disconcerting to be faced with so many question marks. Read more »
June 4th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research, True Stories
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From Dr. Toni Brayer at Everything Health:
We medical folks have always known that July is the worst time for a patient to be admitted to the hospital. It has nothing to do with nice summer weather or staff vacations. Although it cannot be proven, we think the answer to the mystery of July hospital errors is human — yes, it’s the new interns.
A new study published in the June issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine looked at all U.S. death certificates from 1979 to 2006. They found that in teaching hospitals, on average deadly medication mistakes surged by 10 percent each July. The good news is they did not find a surge in other medical errors, including surgery or in non-teaching hospitals. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
