U.S. hospitals making fewer deadly errors, study finds

A federal review of hospital medical records and other data has found a 17 percent decline in infections, drug mistakes, bed sores and other preventable errors from 2010 to 2013, according to a report released Tuesday. Using methods developed by health care quality experts, the report estimated that 50,000 fewer patients died in the hospital and about $12 billion in health care costs was saved as a result of the decline. The report, while acknowledging that the reasons for the improvements aren't fully understood, does list likely contributing causes. They include incentives such as technical help, public reporting on errors and financial penalties established by the Affordable Care Act. "Today's results are welcome news for patients and their families," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement. "These data represent significant progress in improving the quality of care that patients receive while spending our health care dollars more wisely." 12 Photos 11 Deadly Hospital Mistakes: Don't be a Victim! Medical Mistakes Kill Hundreds of Thousands a Year. Will You Be Next? Dr. Peter Angood of the American Association for Physician Leadership, who wasn't involved in the federal report, said the health care industry has a long way to go, and it's still unclear which patient safety strategies work best in hospitals. He noted that the report finds that one in 10 hospital patients still experience such errors. "A 10 percent significant error rate that creates harm, disability and possible death is way too high in American health care," Angood said. The report analyzed conditions patients develop in the hospital such as adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, pressure ulcers and surgical site infections. Most of these so-called hospital-acquired conditions are considered avoidable. The improvement mostly happened in 2012 and 2013, according to the report, and most of the decline came from fewer adverse drug events and pressure ulcers, or bed sores. More than 1.3 million fewer hospital-acquired conditions were experienced by patients over the three years compared with the number that would have occurred if 2010 rates remained steady, according to the report. Another recent study on hospital errors found the number of mistakes could be reduced by at least 25 percent if doctors improved communications and followed a standard checklist for sharing patient information during the handoff from one shift to the next.

Diabetes Linked to Poor Brain Power Later in Life

Diabetes A new study found that people diagnosed with diabetes have poorer brain power later in life than those with normal blood sugar levels. (Photo : Reuters) A new study found that people diagnosed with diabetes have poorer brain power later in life than those with normal blood sugar levels. The results suggests that keeping the blood sugar levels at bay can lower one's risk of memory problems in the future. "It gives you an enormous window of opportunity for prevention," co-author Dr. A. Richey Sharrett, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, told Reuters Health. "After all, I think people dread dementia more than they dread anything in old age." Sharrett and his colleagues looked at the data of 13,551 adults who underwent brain evaluation between 1990 and 2013. The average age of the participants was 57, and about 13 percent of them were diagnosed with diabetes. During the 20-year study period, the researchers saw that those who had diabetes had poorer brain power compared to the healthy participants. The same observation was seen for those who were considered pre-diabetes, or with higher than normal blood sugar but not high enough to be considered diabetic. The findings contradict an earlier study that found having a healthy blood sugar level does not affect the brain power of the seniors. "This one says you got a 20-year lead time," Sharrett said. "You can do something about it now, when you're in your 50s - not later." The researchers clarified that the results of their study do not imply that those with healthy blood sugars are not vulnerable to memory and thinking problems later in life. They weren't sure as well if high blood sugar was the primary cause of poor brain power. "The study is consistent with other literature we have seen," Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations for the Alzheimer's Association, told Healthday News. Snyder reviewed the study and was not part of it. Researchers recommend keeping a healthy weight, maintaining a proper diet and exercising regularly to lower one's risk to type 2 diabetes, especially during middle age. This study was published in the Dec.2 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.