A new study by pediatric researchers at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital shows that about one in 10 parents catch mistakes that physicians miss.
The study suggests that parents and family members may be an unused resource when it comes to preventing medical errors.
Dr. Alisa Khan, the lead researcher in the study, said parents provide complementary information, and often, it’s because they see things that the doctor isn’t looking for. Dr. Khan also said that, despite the best efforts of all involved, errors do occur because of the complexity of the hospital landscape. By enlisting the help of the parents and family, hospital care can be made safer for children, as well as for adult patients.
Children with metabolic or neuromuscular conditions are more likely to be hospitalized for longer periods of time and, therefore, are more at risk of erroneous care—for example:
- Inappropriate pain medication decisions
- Failure to notice an object left behind post-surgery
- The diagnosis and remediation of urinary retention events
Poor communication played a large role in a number of errors, including cases where documentation was placed in the wrong chart and information about medication changes weren’t clearly communicated between day and night staff. Kahn noted that the children of parents who don’t speak English may be more at risk for errors because of language barriers.
The study was small and only conducted at one hospital, but even so, the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that doctors are often unaware of errors affecting their patients.
The study demonstrates the value of parents speaking up on behalf of their child when they perceive an error has been made or is about to occur.
Tell us about hospital errors you’ve encountered. Were you treated like one of the team, or were your comments dismissed? Start a conversation in the comments below!
