Hospital Errors
Reporter David Wahlberg of the Wisconsin State Journal has put together a terrific project examining the all-too-common mistakes that hospitals make. His "Medical Misconnections" looks at problems caused by overly tired doctors and nurses, confusion over what different color-coded warning labels mean and medical personnel putting drugs in the wrong IV, catheter, blood line or other tube, causing serious injury or death. I like how Wahlberg not only diagnoses the problems but also explores potential solutions. The project's Web page, put together by graphic artists Jason Klein and Brent Bollenbach, contains useful advice on what patients can do to reduce the odds of a medical mistake happening to them. It also features a fun interactive graphic where readers can try to manage a hospital's nursing schedule. Thank you Brian Summers for recommending this series. www.madison.com/wsj/projects/safety/index.html