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| Chiropractic -- Research, Facts, Links, etc. |
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| Hospital fatalities blamed on staff (May 3, 1999 -- The Australian) By JOHN KERIN EIGHT in 10 incidences of needless injury or death among hospital patients have been attributed to human error. The estimate is published in today's Medical Journal of Australia, which also warns that State and federal governments and health authorities have failed to improve hospitals enough. A 1995 study, Quality in Australian Healthcare, indicated as many as 50,000 patients were injured and 18,000 died each year due to errors in hospitals. The MJA publishes today a new analysis of the 1995 study, which shows 81.1 per cent of 1922 cases of temporary disability or death were the result of "human error". More specifically, 34.6 per cent of those cases were attributed to the failure by the doctor or surgeon in "technical performance" � successfully carrying out an operation. Another 15.8 per cent were attributed to failure to decide or act whereinformation was available, 11.8 per cent to failure to investigate or consult and 10.9 per cent to lack of care or failure to attend. The study says of the 1182 cases identified as having high preventability, 24.7 per cent could have been avoided through better education and training, 20.9 per cent through new and better-implemented policies and 18.6 per cent through better monitoring. Head of the analysis research team, Ross Wilson, director of quality assurance at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital and co-author of the 1995 study, called for the immediate adoption of electronic patient-tracking and drug-prescribing systems, and improved training and working conditions in hospitals to curb the figures. |
| Copyrighted: AAP Kawiley111201IA52803 (c). Used by permission. |
| [http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/sci-news/1998/snr0415.htm#jma71005] Science News Update News from Journal of American Medical Association & ARCHIVES Journals Week of April 15, 1998 ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS MAY CAUSE OVER 100,000 DEATHS AMONG HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS EACH YEAR CHICAGO-Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in U.S. hospitals may be responsible for more than 100,000 deaths nationwide each year, making it one of the leading causes of death, according to an article in the April 14 issue of The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). Bruce H. Pomeranz, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues from the University of Toronto, analyzed 39 studies of ADRs in the United States to estimate the incidence of serious and fatal adverse drug reactions in hospital patients. To obtain overall incidence rates of ADRs in hospitalized patients, the researchers combined the incidence of ADRs in the hospital and the incidence of ADRs causing admission to the hospital. The authors estimated that 2,216,000 hospital patients experienced a serious ADR and 106,000 deaths were caused by ADRs in the United States. This could account for 4.6 percent of all causes of recorded death in 1994, making adverse medicine reactions the fourth leading cause of death. The World Health Organization defines ADRs as any noxious, unintended and undesired effect of a drug, which occurs at doses used in humans for prophylaxis [prevention], diagnosis or therapy. The authors define a serious ADR as one requiring hospitalization prolonging hospitalization, or one that is permanently disabling or results in death. The researchers found no significant correlation between ADR incidence and year the studies were conducted. They write: "This result seems surprising since great changes have occurred over the last four decades in U.S. hospitals that should have affected the incidence of ADRs. Perhaps, while length of hospital stay is decreasing, the number of drugs per day may be rising to compensate. Therefore, while the actual incidence of ADRs has NOT changed over the last 32 years, the pattern of their occurrence has, undoubtedly changed," the authors write. The authors determined that ADRs are one of the leading causes of death by using the highest and lowest possible estimates. Using the higher estimate placed ADRs as the fourth leading cause of death, behind heart disease (743,460 deaths), cancer (529,904 deaths) and stroke (150,108 deaths). Using the lower estimate placed ADRs as the sixth leading cause of death behind those previously mentioned, as well as pulmonary disease (101,077 deaths) and accidents (90,523 deaths). ADRs would then rank ahead of pneumonia and diabetes. |
| LINKS The following are some great links to some great chiropractors around the country, as well as links to various chiropractic organizations or specific technique groups: - International Chiropractic Pediatric Association - Research on Chiropractic - Koren Chiropractic (Research Articles, Patient Education, etc.) - A Visit with the Not Shot Doctor (A Patient's Testimony) - Effectiveness of Chiropractic - Questions about Chiropractic (Dr. G. Schweizer) - Whiplash Guides, Occupational Injuries, etc. - National Vaccine Information Center - The Chiropractic Resource Organization - Headaches !!! - Dr. Manga's Famous Report - Gonstead - Gonstead Seminar - Palmer College of Chiropractic - List of Chiropractic Colleges around the World - etc. |
| Why do I have to return to chiropractic care every so often / regularly? Prevention and health maintenance is still the best way to achieve optimum health. Unfortunately, our culture and our distorted health care system (Medicare, PPO, etc.) have blurred that view and instead they are suggesting us that "..unless you're really really sick and can't get out of your bed, try as hard as you can, to not visit your doctor... cause it's gonna cost you more money, bla bla bla..." Here are some great questions for you: "Do you put gas, check the oil, wash, and take care of your car regularly?" "Would you wait until you have driven for 2000 miles and until your car have exploded before you would change your oil, put some gasoline in your tank, etc.?" "Which would cost you more $$$ : A.) Regular car maintenance, B.) Being a stupid ignorant and drive your car without enough gas in it / oil changed, and keep driving until it explodes (with you:). Well, if you think your health is more important than your car, than regular health maintenance is also important, and that's why chiropractors keep asking you to return regularly... just like dentists, etc. |
| Chiropractic is a distinct profession within the health care system, promoting a better health without the use of drugs or surgery as much as possible**. This particular page presents some of the results of various research and extensive studies around the world on the impact of medicines + surgeries to our health, and why chiropractic is the best solution in preventing, improving, and maintaining your health. Side note: as indicated on the first page, and also on the first sentence above, chiropractic does not promote the use of drugs and surgery as much as possible. However, drugs and surgeries do have their places within the health care system, especially when it comes to emergency cases. |
| THE GALLUP STUDY In 1991 the Gallup Organization performed a nationwide demographic study to determine the attitudes, opinions, and behaviors of both users and nonusers of chiropractic services. Their findings? Overall, 90% felt that chiropractic health care was effective: more than 80% were satisfied with the treatment they received; nearly 75% felt that most of their expectations were met during the last visit or series of visits; 68% said they would likely see a doctor of chiropractic again for treatment of a similar condition, and 50% would likely be willing to see a doctor of chiropractic for some other problem chiropractors treat. Nearly 80% of the chiropractic users felt that the cost of chiropractic treatment was reasonable. Demographic Characteristics of Users of Chiropractic Services. The Gallup Organization, Princeton, New Jersey - 1991. |
| THE HARRIS POLL According to this 1994 Harris Poll, patients were more satisfied with chiropractic care than care from medical doctors and other health care professionals. Those who sought care from a chiropractor were more likely to be very satisfied with their care than those who visited any other practitioner. (Choices were between Chiropractic Doctors, Medical Doctors, Physical Therapists, or Osteopathic Doctors) Of those who have seen both types of practitioner, the majority were more likely to be satisfied with the care of the chiropractor than with that of the medical doctor. |
| Chiropractic Treatment vs. Outpatient Hospital Treatment by P.T.'s and M.D.'s In this study, British medical researchers found chiropractic treatment significantly more effective than hospital outpatient treatment, especially in patients with chronic and severe back pain. Significantly fewer patients needed to return for further treatments at the end of the first and second year in those who received chiropractic care (17% compared with 24%). In addition, "two and three years after patients with back pain were treated by chiropractors, they experienced far less pain than those who were treated by medical doctors." The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) - University of Ottawa, Canada. |
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| "Each patient carries his own doctor inside him. They come to us not knowing that truth. We are at our best when we give the doctor who resides within each patient a chance to work." Albert Schweitzer, M.D. Intelligence is present everwhere in our bodies. Our own inner intelligence is far superior to any we can try to substitute from the outside." Deepak Chopra, M.D The machinery looks good, the technology seems nice, the stainless steel is shiny, everything smells likes isopropyl alcohol; I mean, they are the greatest salesmen in the world. We're going to look back at this century in the future and we're going to laugh eventually, but we'll cry first. This is one of the most barbaric periods. It's going to be called the Dark Ages of medicine. Dr. Richard Schulze Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases - Hippocrates "The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition." Thomas Edison "It's supposed to be a secret, but I'll tell you anyway. We doctors do nothing. We only help and encourage the doctor within." Albert Schweitzer, M.D. "If we doctors threw all our medicines into the sea, it would be that much better for our patients and that much worse for the fishes." Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes, MD |
| "The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition." Thomas AEdison |
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| The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. ~ Voltaire, French Philosopher (1694-1778) ~ |
| "If you can shrink the tumour 50% or more for 28 days you have got the FDA's definition of an active drug. That is called a response rate, so you have a response..(but) when you look to see if there is any life prolongation from taking this treatment what you find is all kinds of hocus pocus and song and dance about the disease free survival, and this and that. In the end there is no proof that chemotherapy in the vast majority of cases actually extends life, and this is the GREAT LIE about chemotherapy, that somehow there is a correlation between shrinking a tumour and extending the life of the patient."--- Ralph Moss |
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