3rd World America

[Adios]

Shortages of some 150 crucial medicines have killed at least three hospital patients, according to reports from  a patient safety group.

One of the hospital drugs in shortage is morphine, and two patients died of an overdose when hospitals substituted a more powerful drug instead, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).

Another patient died when doctors had to use diluted epinephrine, which is also in short supply.

"This is a big deal," says Michael Cohen, president of ISMP.

In an ISMP survey of some 1,800 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare practitioners, 80% said they'd had difficulty obtaining a suitable alternative for a drug that wasn't available.
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/23/shortage-of-medicines-kills-us-patients/?hpt=T2

Wow.

[Jenne]

Yeah, but, you look at just about any hospital/health care system, worldwide, even the best care can be fucked up.  I don't think that makes us anywhere near the 3rd world...you'd have to be treated by one of THEIR hospitals to know the difference.

[Adios]

Not ever having been in a hospital except in the U.S. I have no control for comparison.

[Cain]

Uh, doesn't the US have a very powerful pharmaceutical lobby who tie various hospitals etc into only buying drugs produced by them and inflating those prices so even if treatment centres do violate their contracts their budgets wont be able to afford alternative drugs anyway?

Sounds more like a case of artificial scarcity.

[Adios]

I would tend to agree.

[Jenne]

And insurance companies, bullshit protocols and too many patients for less staff also contribute to some chaos.  But I tell you what:  the performance levels of some of our worst damned hospitals do not even touch some of the best levels of hospitals that are NOT private and NOT for rich folks in 3d world countries.

[Whatever]

And insurance companies, bullshit protocols and too many patients for less staff also contribute to some chaos.  But I tell you what:  the performance levels of some of our worst damned hospitals do not even touch some of the best levels of hospitals that are NOT private and NOT for rich folks in 3d world countries.

THIS!!

I have a friend who almost died from an infection after getting stitches in her foot from stepping on a piece of glass when she was in South America.  They rinsed her foot with water, stitched her up with no numbing agent, then wrapped her foot up in some ratty bandages.  No antibiotics were prescribed or given.  And that is something simple.  I can only imagine what would happen if she had had some life threatening disease or a major injury.

[Jenne]

And insurance companies, bullshit protocols and too many patients for less staff also contribute to some chaos.  But I tell you what:  the performance levels of some of our worst damned hospitals do not even touch some of the best levels of hospitals that are NOT private and NOT for rich folks in 3d world countries.

THIS!!

I have a friend who almost died from an infection after getting stitches in her foot from stepping on a piece of glass when she was in South America.  They rinsed her foot with water, stitched her up with no numbing agent, then wrapped her foot up in some ratty bandages.  No antibiotics were prescribed or given.  And that is something simple.  I can only imagine what would happen if she had had some life threatening disease or a major injury.

Lack of sterlization is a big one.  SEVERE lack of medicines is another--something like penicillin is hardly ever on hand, simple vaccinations are also thin on the ground.  Competency barely weighs in just for sheer lack of supplies.  You get something like cancer?  Forget treatment if you can't afford the private hospitals.  Uh-uh.  Just live life to the fullest till it runs out.  Which would be in very short order.