News in brief - Nov. 13, 2006

N.J. preventable error report documents 400 serious errors - New subspecialty certification: Hospice and palliative medicine - Textbook aims to equip students for internal medicine clerkship

N.J. preventable error report documents 400 serious errors

New Jersey hospitals reported nearly 400 serious preventable adverse events in 2005, according to the state Dept. of Health and Senior Services' first annual report released last month. Medical errors resulted in 57 hospital patients' deaths in 2005, according to the report. The most common preventable adverse events were falls and pressure ulcers, together accounting for 54% of the incidents reported. Surgical errors accounted for 17%. Miscommunications among health professionals were cited in more than 60% of cases.

The agency is writing rules to expand mandatory reporting to specialty hospitals, ambulatory care centers, home health care and hospices and long-term care and assisted-living facilities. The agency also will require reporting on errors involving reprocessed single-use medical devices to determine whether they pose any additional risk.

New subspecialty certification: Hospice and palliative medicine

The American Board of Medical Specialties has added a new subspecialty certificate in hospice and palliative medicine.

The certification is available to physicians who hold specialty or subspecialty certification by one of the following ABMS member boards co-sponsoring the new certification: anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry and neurology, radiology and surgery.

The subspecialty certification in hospice and palliative medicine is renewable every 10 years, pending completion of certain training, education and exam requirements. The first exam is scheduled to be given in 2008.

"We are thrilled to have our area of care recognized as an ABMS subspecialty," Ronald Schonwetter, MD, president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, said in a statement.

"Providing certification in hospice and palliative medicine offers another dimension to the career paths of emerging and established physicians."

Textbook aims to equip students for internal medicine clerkship

The American College of Physicians released a textbook for medical students in their third-year internal medicine rotation that covers the common problems and disorders a student is likely to see.

The book, Internal Medicine Essentials for Clerkship Students 2007-2008, also has a Web component that includes additional clinical photos, tables and screening tools.

Members of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine, who helped design the national internal medicine clerkship curriculum and who are actively involved in teaching, created the textbook to help students care for patients, prepare for clinical rounds and study for the end-of-rotation examination. More information is available at the ACP Web site (https://www.acponline.org/atpro/timssnet/catalog/books/ime.htm).