Ob-Gyn Group Addresses Patient Safety
Medical errors made during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-natal care can cause brain damage to the infant and lifelong conditions like cerebral palsy. However, the medical community has been slow to make changes toward reducing the potential for mistakes. But at a recent meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the emphasis was on making the difficult but necessary changes.
Patient safety expert Dr. Robert M. Wachter, who addressed those in attendance, used the emergency landing of a US Airways plane in the Hudson River as an example of how standardization and training can help doctors prepare for the unexpected.
Dr. Wachter argued that the captain of that plane, Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, was able to remain calm during the crisis because he had trained for emergency situations using simulators and also because he immediately made it clear to his co-pilot who was in charge.
In healthcare settings, simulation and team training for unexpected emergencies is not standard but it should be, according to Dr. Wachter. Checklists, computers and standardization are all tools ob-gyns and other doctors should be using to reduce the incidence of medical errors.
