Researchers scanned the cause of death on 244,388 death certificates issued from 1979 to 2006. The result of their research showed that there was a higher number of deaths in July related to fatal medication errors recorded as the primary cause of death. The 10 percent increase only occurred in counties containing teaching hospitals. The researchers concluded that this sudden spike in July was associated with the addition of new hospital residents in those teaching hospitals.
Although many medical professionals recognize that inexperienced employees are at risk of making more mistakes, others say that the UC-San Diego study contains flaws, such as the fact that death certificates don’t contain information on whether or not those fatal errors were made by new residents and that much of the evidence used to conduct research was decades old.
Medical professionals doubtful of the study all agree, though, that communication at every level is the key to better patient safety, according to the Connecticut Post.
Read the Connecticut Post‘s report on the “July Effect” study.
Read more coverage about patient safety:
– California’s Sutter Health Received Quality Grant, Commits to $10M Patient Safety Initiative
– Texas Hospital Association Launches Texas Institute for Patient Safety
– Study: Electronic Records May Not Save Money or Reduce Complications, But May Save Lives
