The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) estimates that 1.3 million fewer patients were harmed in U.S. hospitals from 2010 to 2013. AHRQ attributes this to “focused and widespread efforts to reduce surgical-site infections, adverse drug events and other preventable incidents.” Continue reading “Weekly Must Reads in Patient Safety (Dec 5, 2014)”
Tag: Skeptical Scalpel
Pain is not the “5th vital sign”
No, contrary to what you may have heard, pain is not the 5th vital sign. It’s not a sign at all.
Vital signs are the following: heart rate; blood pressure; respiratory rate; temperature.
What do those four signs have in common?
They can be measured. Continue reading “Pain is not the “5th vital sign””