801 Health News Update

Medical errors cause a great deal of unnecessary suffering. In 1999 a landmark study called To Err Is Human brought this issue to public awareness, with an estimate of nearly 100,000 deaths a year as a result. Has patient safety improved in the decade since then?
The sensitive nose of a dog may be able to detect colorectal cancer.
Explore the stories behind the health headlines.
Guests: Christopher Landrigan, MD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also Associate Physician in the Division of Sleep Medicine within the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The photo is of Dr. Landrigan. The report on his research was published in November in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, is a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He directs the Quality and Safety Research Group and serves as medical director for the Center for Innovation in Quality Care. Dr. Pronovost was the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant in 2009 for his work in patient safety. Together with Eric Vohr, he has written Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals: How One Doctor’s Checklist Can Help Change Healthcare from the Inside Out. His recent research was published in BMJ.
The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. Podcasts can be downloaded for free for six weeks after the date of broadcast. After that time has passed, digital downloads are available for $2.99. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.