How Fatigue Can Lead to Medical Care Errors

One thing that anyone who plans to receive medical care in New Mexico in the near future should think about is how fatigue can contribute to poor medical care and mistakes. Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals often work long hours and see numerous patients throughout their workdays. Many of them are so overworked that they are not capable of giving their patients the full attention and quality of care they deserve. 

Here is a brief overview on how fatigue causes medical mistakes. 

Fatigue is one of many issues that can result in medical personnel falling short in their work performance and responsibilities to their patients, leading to critical errors that rob them of their health, vitality and in some cases their lives. According to U.S. News & World Report, the percent of people who die from medical mistakes committed by medical professionals in the country is 10. 

Mistakes tired doctors make 

Tired and overworked medical professionals are dangerous. They commonly mix up their patients, overlook vital patient information, fail to review patient histories and exercise poor judgment and analytical skills. Other serious mistakes medical care providers make that result in short and long-term harm to their patients include: 

  •        Wrong diagnosis
  •        Operating on the wrong surgical site
  •        Leaving surgical instruments inside of their bodies
  •        Not thoroughly explaining medical recommendations and instructions
  •        Improper prescription and medication administration 

Sometimes it is not fatigue alone that causes some doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to make errors. MensHealth.com states that patients can improve the quality of care they receive and keep their doctors from making mistakes by playing a more active role. 

There are many measures that medical professionals can take to lower the number of mistakes they make. Patients should question their medical professionals and choose a family member to act as their advocate when they cannot hold their doctors and nurses accountable themselves.

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