Medicare releases report on preventable errors at hospitals
Medicare has released data on eight serious and preventable medical errors that occurred at more than 4,700 U.S. hospitals, based on billing reports for Medicare patients from 2008 to 2010. Falls were the most common preventable error at hospitals, occurring at a rate of one for every 2,000 patient stays, followed by severe bedsores or skin ulcers, according to the report. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (4/7)


Time and time again, report after report, shows that minimizing sentinel events and just providing proper patient care relies on proper nursing care. But in there lies the rub, proper staffing better ensures proper nursing care and the nurses ability to monitor and protect their patients. AND protecting patients is one of the most basic of nursing, it is inherent in any meaning to being a nurse. But you must have the staff to be able to limit medication errors, prevent ulcer development and minimize patient fall risks.


The Game CLUE is not just for children anymore..Anyone affecting these events needs to make staffing a FACTOR.