This week in #patientsafety, we marked Patient Safety Awareness Week.
We want every week to be patient safety awareness week, so we published an article about saying so. We also shared a story written by a mother whose son died after a nursing error. From around the web, we highlight research on sepsis and opioid prescribing practices. We also direct you to an article from Canada looking at whether patients should feel comfortable taking opioids after surgery.
From PPAHS:
Patient Safety Awareness Week Needs to Be Every Week. We join others in calling on leaders to make every week patient safety awareness week at their healthcare facilities.
A Nursing Error Led to My Son’s Unexpected Death. This is the story of how the unmonitored use of patient-controlled analgesia and nursing errors led to the unexpected death of a mother’s only child (and how it might have been prevented).
From Around the Web:
Researchers Identify Biomarker that Predicts Death in Sepsis Patients. Duke scientists have discovered a biomarker of the runaway immune response to infection called sepsis that could improve early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment to save lives.
Surgeons were told to stop prescribing so many painkillers. The results were remarkable. Despite the clickbait-y headline, this Washington Post article is legitimate and tells the story of how Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center reduced the number of opioid pills they prescribed.
Should I be concerned about taking opioids after surgery?. For those in Canada, here’s a Globe and Mail article asking whether patients should be afraid to take opioids after surgery. The comments are worth reading; and share your opinion if you feel it appropriate to do so.