Viral Trend Could Prevent Medical Errors

An Australian anesthetist started a viral trend to help improve patient safety and reduce medical errors. Penning his name and job title on his surgery cap at first provoked laughter from his fellow medical professionals, but then people began to realize how helpful this type of simple identification could be.

There is now a viral trend of hospital staff sharing photos of their names written on their caps. This is an initiative to create better communication in operating rooms, which in turn reduces mistakes. The #TheatreCapChallenge is an initiative from the PatientSafe Network in response to concerns about how easily avoidable mistakes and poor communication are contributing to rising adverse events for patients.

Scrub caps and surgical masks partially conceal the faces of the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals who wear them. This can mean even familiar colleagues can potentially confuse the faces of their peers amid the often chaotic scene of a surgery or medical emergency. By writing their names and roles on their caps, medical professionals hope to create a more open working environment to prevent medical errors.

Medical errors are now the third leading cause of death in the United States, with more than 251,000 people dying each year as a result of a medical error. Common medical errors include the failure to timely diagnose and treat a medical condition, birth injuries, emergency room mistakes, misdiagnosis, labor and delivery complications, and surgical errors.

All medical providers know errors in their profession create a serious public health problem threatening patient safety.  Yet a lack of clarity over what constitutes a medical error has continued to make it difficult to accurately measure how many errors there have been, what types of errors have occurred, and what the resulting injuries were. A lack of standardized nomenclature and overlapping definitions of medical errors has hindered data analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Philadelphia Medical Errors Lawyers

If you or someone you care about was injured while under the care of a doctor, you should look into your legal options. At Lopez McHugh, we will carefully review the facts of your case and advise you on your legal rights. Your coming forward will help reduce the chance of another patient becoming a victim of the same kind of medical error. Please contact our office in Philadelphia today to set up a free case consultation.