Anyone receiving medical care in Pennsylvania has a right to expect medications to be prescribed based on accurate, up-to-date information. Unfortunately, this isn't always what happens. Due to the potential for prescription oversights, a group of physician assistant student researchers recommends that a standardized medication reconciliation training regimen they developed be implemented.
The role of technology in preventing automotive deaths
In 2018, there were more than 40,000 deaths due to automobile accidents on America's roadways. More than 10,000 of those deaths can be attributed to drunk driving. Unfortunately, people who live in Pennsylvania and other states throughout the country have become accustomed to these high numbers. In fact, many accidents don't even make the news.
Teens more likely to crash in first months as licensed drivers
The first three months as a licensed driver appear to be more dangerous to teens than the period when they have a learner's permit. In those three months, teens in Pennsylvania and across the country raise their risk for a crash or near-miss by eight times compared to their last three months with a permit. This was the conclusion of a study from the National Institutes for Health and Virginia Tech University.
How EHR usability issues put pediatric patients at risk
Electronic health records are fraught with usability issues that have proven detrimental to clinical workflow. Moreover, these issues put many patients, especially pediatric patients, at risk for injuries arising from medication errors. Pennsylvania residents should know that ONC is currently drafting voluntary rules for the use of EHRs in pediatric care and that Pew Charitable Trusts, in the effort to inform policymaking, has issued a new report.
Study finds that schizophrenia is often misdiagnosed
Schizophrenia is a very serious mental disorder that is treated with powerful antipsychotic medications. However, a recently conducted study suggests that schizophrenia could be overdiagnosed throughout Pennsylvania and around the country. A research team from Johns Hopkins University came to this conclusion after analyzing the cases of 54 patients who had been sent to a Baltimore clinic after receiving a schizophrenia diagnosis from their doctors. The researchers found that only 26 of them had been properly diagnosed.
