Chemotherapy remains a very dangerous business. Ten years after Betsy Lehman’s death jump-started the patient safety movement, here’s another death — this time from the wrong drug used. Anyone know what (if any) EMAR system Kaiser is running in Santa Theresa?
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Chemotherapy is really an issue ever since it was introduced. The medicine world has been very much keen in trying to regulate its practice. Perhaps the thir mode of treatment has been that effective as advertised. In fact side effects were observed in some of the patients. I guess a deeper research should be done to perfect the system of using chemotherapy. Health information circulates reminding the risk of having such treatment.
I don’t know how far along California’s implementation is, but my money is on the mechanization of medicine actually playing a role in causing the problem. Kaiser has been trying to move from smart physicians to smart technology for some time now. I hope the analysis of what went wrong doesn’t take place behind closed doors.
Because of the issue Hillarie Levy raised, I’m interested to see how Kaiser handles accountability for this. Will they try to scapegoat a nurse or will they spread accountability around a little? I think I mentioned I have my own experience with this. I couldn’t get a scar-causing medical blunder addressed because Kaiser wouldn’t even interview the specialist involved: they just interviewed the primary care physician instead, which was effectively making him responsible for any problem (though I’m sure the idea was also to cover up the problem). The Dept. of Managed Health Care would not make Kaiser interview the right doctor.
And I bet if this young man’s family raises any issues, Kaiser’s lawyers will be smearing them as “vengeful”. Kaiser’s lawyers have no qualms about lying in court, so I hope that family gets a good lawyer and saves every scrap of evidence.