Mar 31, 2009 6:29 pm US/Pacific
Group Ranks Hospitals Safety Practices
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
Mistakes happen. And too often they happen in hospitals. Nearly 100,000 Americans die each year, not from the medical conditions they checked in with, but from preventable medical errors. So how do you find the safest place for your mom when she needs a new hip?
On their website, one way the
Leapfrog Group ranks hospitals is with a Safe Practices score. Things that get rated include: is the hospital staff washing their hands regularly? Do they have a pharmacist closely looking over medication lists to see if there are dangerous interactions?
A higher ranking suggests a safer hospital. However, new research shows hospitals that are top-rated on the safe practices survey do not have lower death rates.
Dr. Leslie Kernisan, a UCSF Internist, is lead author of the study. "We found that mortality rates seem to be pretty much the same no matter which quartile the hospital fell into," Dr. Kernisan said.
She thinks Leapfrog is on the right track trying to identify which hospitals are doing the safer things. But because management might not really know what's going on on the hospital floors, her advice for patients and their families is to pay close attention.
"Just be really proactive when you are in the hospital about asking questions and, you know, trying to watch for yourself to make sure things aren't slipping through the cracks. Everybody in the hospital is trying really hard, but they've got a hard job to do right now," Dr. Kernisan said.
As for handwashing, when in doubt, speak up. Hospitals are busy places and there's nothing wrong with a polite reminder. It could be as simple as saying "I'm sorry, I just want to be sure you washed your hands."
To find out how Leapfrog rates the hospitals in your area, visit
www.leapfroggroup.org.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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