Surviving in the Hospital (Available medical technology to help you survive)

(Submitted to Anna Lim via email, as part of the requirements of the job as content writer- 012105.)

By: Granny's Mettle

More than having a comfortable, temporary residence in the hospital, it is important that one not only survive but come out of the hospital, alive and whole.

According to a study, medical errors in hospitals cause more deaths each year than vehicle accidents, cancer or even AIDS. A recent study reported that there are up to 100,000 deaths each year caused by medical mistakes. Hence, medical mistakes are reported as the eighth leading cause of death among Americans.

The causes of medical mistakes are many and varied. They can arise from the physician, specialist, hospital administration, nursing staff, pharmacists, and many other places. The type of medical mistakes also varies. These include misdiagnosis, medication errors, surgery errors, laboratory test errors, and administrative errors.

With the onset of cosmetic surgery, there have been many cases where patients come out of the hospital worse than when they entered. Even so-called minor operations are not without risks anymore.

According to ABC7, one patient was supposed to have a common surgery to fix a hernia. But because of a series of mistakes, he found himself in a situation that nearly cost him his life. The patient was supposed to have his blood vessel cauterized as part of the procedure. However, one of the interns failed to do so. They then punctured his spleen. Then they had to get the blood out of the lung cavity. But by doing so, they caused the patient's lung to collapse instead.

In an effort to reduce errors, some hospitals turned to technology. Instead of using the traditional recording of communication, hospitals nowadays utilize electronic record.

Computers are also common sights in hospitals. Nearly everyone uses a computer. Doctors have portable stations where new and old medical records can be accessed with just a click of the mouse.

Aside from a system of electronic checks and balances, pharmacy mistakes are reduced with the presence of bar-codes in all drugs and paraphernalia.

Armbands are also introduced. Nurses are now able to scan the patients' armband and match it with the electronic record, thus, reducing errors.

Despite technology's assistance, it is still advised that patients should not rely solely on technology. Doctors recommend that the patients themselves should be responsible enough to check their own record and ask their physicians hard questions beforehand.

Knowing the extent of your illness, surgery and operation might just be the ticket to saving your own life.

Why do we get fever?

(Submitted to Anna Lim via email, as part of the requirements of my job as content writer- 012105.)

By: Granny's Mettle

God provided us with an ingenious body that knows what to do when something unwelcome invades it. As an animal must defend itself against enemies, so does our body fight bacteria or viruses when they try to occupy our system.

The normal body temperature of a healthy man is 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit. When bacteria, viruses, or even fungi, invade our body it usually results to an infection. When our body gets infected, its natural response is to activate cells in the immune system. These cells are called white blood cells. When they are activated, they fight these bacteria in many ways, one of which is to raise the body temperature. That's when you have a fever.

When the virus or bacteria enters the body system, they produce toxins that can directly set the body's temperature up. Meanwhile, these toxins also trigger the white blood cells to emit substances that can also increase the body temperature.

Fever then, fights off toxins when we are sick. Toxins are usually weaker than normal cells and have low tolerance to heat. When we start to sweat because of the fever, our body starts to detoxify from the viruses, tumors and other toxic cells that caused the infection. Moreover, blood circulation and respiration increases during fever. Both these processes help the body fight off the poisonous germs present in our body when we have infection.

However, fever that is persistent for a longer period of time is not good. There is a tendency for a disorder to set in the brain when the temperature continues to be high. It is therefore a big mistake to ignore fever.

So at the first signs of chills, loss of appetite, and a feeling of weakness, don't delay. It is our body's way of telling us that we are sick. It's time to go to the doctor for a dose of medical treatment and tender loving care.