Update knowledge of therapeutics Three key factors were listed by the IOM that contribute to prescribing error: 1) using the wrong drug name, 2) incorrect dosage calculations, and 3) atypical or unusual and critical dosage frequency. It is very easy to use the wrong drug name when prescribing, because so many new drugs enter the [...]
INTRODUCTION In the United States, an estimated 44,000 to 98,000 deaths annually may be caused by medical errors. These figures were provided in a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The report documents the fact that medication errors are a major problem in our hospitals and that adverse drug reactions (ADR) remain an important [...]
We studied a unique population from a large public hospital that serves an ethnically diverse and underserved population. Our cohort had greater race and age diversity than other population studies.
Table 1 presents the characteristics of the cohort. Age, gender, and race status were available in 99.9% of the cohort. The four preselected racial groups (Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American, and Asian) comprised 97% of the cohort. Nearly 60% of the subjects were Hispanic. The mean age (SD) of the cohort was 62.3 (15.1) years. Nearly 28% [...]
Population Records of patients with electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis of AF were examined from LAC+USC Medical Center’s Marquette ECG database for the 1999 calendar year. This ECG database included records of both inpatients and outpatients. The automatically interpreted ECGs generated for that calendar year were previously reviewed, corrected when necessary, and confirmed by the hospital’s cardiologists. [...]
INTRODUCTION Atrial fibrillation is being increasingly recognized as an important clinical entity in regards to morbidity, mortality, and patient care costs. Since the risk of AF is associated with advancing age, the aging of the population of the United States will likely be associated with increased prevalence of AF with its accompanying medical and socioeconomic [...]
Socioeconomic disadvantage and being an African-American man heighten the risk of experiencing the most profound negative consequences of prostate cancer. The interplay of their knowledge barriers and attitudinal barriers to care predisposes these men to poor prostate health, late stage diagnosis, treatment delays, and, ultimately, poor survival. Theoretically, however, these barriers can be overcome much [...]
