Medical mistakes of any kind are tragic, but they are most frightening when the victim is an innocent child. A new study from this month's issue of the journal Pediatrics looks at quality of care at children's hospitals. Researchers studied 38 children's hospitals nationwide and estimated the cost of extended stays caused by infections and other preventable complications. Among the findings:
- Of the 430,000 children in the study, more than 6,600 suffered complications caused by their care.
- Some complications occurred in up to 4 percent of children treated.
- Children are three times more susceptible to infections in hospitals compared with adults.
- Eliminating infections due to medical care would save over $700 million each year.
See the actual report from Pediatrics or click here to read the Post-Dispatch's article on it.
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