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STUDY SHOWS TEAM TRAINING OF MEDICAL STAFF CAN REDUCE MEDICAL ERRORS
Researchers at Rice University, the Johns Hopkins University of School of Medicine, the University of Central Florida, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center recently released a study which showed that health care employees who are trained in a team environment can reduce the number of medical errors made by hospital staff.
According to an article from News Medical , the study, titled “Saving Lives: A Meta-Analysis of Team Training in Health Care,” showed that team training can lower the risk of medical errors by 19%. Further, patient mortality would be reduced by 15%. Researchers found that such interaction in a learning environment would not only save lives, but save hospitals money as well. Researchers stated that medical errors occur in more than 30% of all admissions, costing U.S. hospitals between $735 billion to $980 billion a year.
The study looked at the impact of a team-training environment among 23,018 participants — consisting of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, therapists, medical and nursing students, and other health care staff members — in 129 previous studies. Among the findings, employees improved their learning of new skills by 31% and their use of these skills on the job by 25%, while health care groups saw a 15% improvement in financial outcomes. Results also showed clinical performance improved by 34% and patient satisfaction was up by 15%.
Researchers concluded that team training helps employees and medical staff communicate better, learn to cooperate and resolve any conflicts that might arise. This, in turn, lowers incidents of medical errors, many of which, they said, are preventable.
Medical errors occur when a doctor fails to provide proper care to a patient, often resulting in serious injury or even death. If you or a loved one has been hurt by medical errors and/or medical malpractice, contact the experienced attorneys at Alegria & Barovick, LLP by calling (914) 761-1133 or (212) 861-2800.