A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that patients were commonly harmed in a group of 10 North Carolina hospitals. In the five years the study ran, from 2002 to 2007, the number of incidents never decreased. The most common problems were infections aquired while in the hospital, and drug and procedure complications. Many of the incidents evaluated during the study were preventable, such as severe bleeding in an operation, trouble breathing after a procedure was performed incorrectly, and obstetric delivery devices causing unnecessary tissue damage to women during labor.
To read more about rising concerns over patient safety, visit the New York Times article, "Study Finds No Progress in Safety at Hospitals."
