Dangerous but Common Medical Errors
In the medical field, there are those preventable common errors that arise with or without the knowledge of the medical practitioners. Medical errors are serious health problems to the patients and in some cases, the errors may result in fatal consequences such as death (Kavanagh, Saman, Bartel & Westerman, 2017). The following discussion is about hospital-acquired infection, which is an example of a medical error. Patients acquire these hospital infections during their stay in the health centers, especially from the environment. Medical workers, especially nurses can cause a patient to acquire hospital infections if they are not keen enough while providing medical services to the patients. From a study, I carried out, two of the five patients that I interacted with had a skin infection underneath the surgical area.
One example of hospital-acquired infection is the surgical site infection that occurs immediately after a patient undergoes surgery in any part of the body. Surgery creates an opening to the body where disease-causing organisms can pass through into the body (Alverdy, Hyoju, Weigerinck & Gilbert, 2017). Once the disease-causing organisms gain access into the body, they result in other serious infections than the initial infection. In some cases, a surgical infection may occur as an infection involving the upper part of the skin.
One of the approaches medical practitioners should take in addressing surgical infections is taking extra cautions to ensure that surgical openings remain safe. Keeping the surgical openings safe means that no disease-causing organisms can enter through the surgical openings (Alverdy, Hyoju, Weigerinck & Gilbert, 2017). Another important approach to prevent surgical infections is using sterilized surgical tools and protective clothing during surgery.
One solution that I would recommend medical practitioners apply is developing a follow-up program for patients who undergo a surgery process. The follow-up program is essential since the health practitioners will be able to discover a surgical infection at an early stage. The Biblical principle that supports my solution to address surgical infection is that Christians should remain prepared and alert always. Offering a medical follow-up program will make a patient remain alert just in case a surgical infection arises.
References
Alverdy, J. C., Hyoju, S. K., Weigerinck, M., & Gilbert, J. A. (2017). The gut microbiome and the mechanism of surgical infection. Journal of British Surgery, 104(2), e14-e23.
Kavanagh, K. T., Saman, D. M., Bartel, R., & Westerman, K. (2017). Estimating hospital-related deaths due to medical error: a perspective from patient advocates. Journal of patient safety, 13(1), 1-5.
