High-tech and hands-on, Catholic hospitals work to keep patients safe

Published: 2006-10-03

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The deaths of three premature infants at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis in mid-September pointed up a problem that is believed to cause more deaths each year in the United States than breast cancer, AIDS or automobile accidents. Because of mistakes by a pharmacy technician and a nurse, six babies each received an adult dose of a blood-thinning medication -- 1,000 times stronger than what they were supposed to receive. Three of the infants died and the other three were expected to recover. The Institute of Medicine, in its 1999 report, "To Err Is Human," estimated the number of deaths caused by medical errors at between 44,000 and 98,000 a year. But some Catholic health systems and those with Catholic roots are leading the way in reducing medical errors and improving patient safety, using a combination of high-tech information systems and an old-fashioned emphasis on caring for each patient as an individual.

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