Paging Dr. Wrong
One-seventh of pages are sent to the wrong physician, according to a new study, “Frequency and Clinical Importance of Pages Sent to the Wrong Physician,” published in the June 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Out of 14,000 admissions at two Canadian academic medical centers, 14% of pages were sent to the incorrect doctor, including residents who were off-duty and/or out of the hospital, according to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog. Half of those incorrect pages (about 2,000 pages) were emergency messages, said the article.
The study didn't indicate the medical effect (or potential harm) on patients from these inaccurate pages, but the study did said the most common cause of preventable disability and death is communication failures.
About the Author: Karen M. Cheung is the associate editor for HCPro, Inc., the healthcare compliance publisher, delivering news and information to the hospitalist market with products such as books, e-newsletters, seminars, and broadcast events.
Before arriving at HCPro, Karen served as the news editor for Reviewed.com (including DigitalCameraInfo.com and lead blogger for CamcorderInfo.com), providing unbiased tech reviews for the WashingtonPost.com. Having trained with The Washington Post photo department and earning a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University, Karen has experience with news and commercial photography. During her time in D.C., she covered Capitol Hill and the White House for daily New England newspapers.
