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Another year, another rise: Maryland hospitals see 4th consecutive year of medical error spikes – WTOP News

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Another year, another rise: Maryland hospitals see 4th consecutive year of medical error spikes – WTOP News


Medical mistakes that led to either death or severe disabilities are apparently on the rise in Maryland, according to a new report from the state’s Department of Health.

Medical mistakes that led to either death or severe disabilities are apparently on the rise in Maryland, according to a new report from the state’s Department of Health.

The report, highlighting data from fiscal year 2023, marks the fourth consecutive year that Maryland hospitals have seen an increase in such incidents, starting with the increase in 2020.

In fiscal 2023, the Maryland Department of Health said there were 957 adverse events reported, including 808 Level 1 events.

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Level 1 events are described as “an adverse event that results in death or serious disability.” The latest report marked a 5% increase in such incidences, according to the report.

Pressure injuries were the most frequently reported Level 1 event for the latest report, but were down 2% from the previous year. These types of injuries include ulcers, which commonly happen because of failure to turn and reposition patients with limited mobility and offload pressure in hospital beds, the report found.

Medical tubes and devices caused 30% of in-hospital pressure injuries. “Proper positioning and securing of medical tubes and devices is crucial to pressure injury prevention,” the report states.

Falls were the second-most reported event, with a 22% increase from fiscal 2022, according to the report.

(Courtesy Maryland Public Health Administration)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reports that more than one-third of hospital falls result in injury, including serious injuries such as fractures and head trauma.

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The state report mentions one fall patient in particular who was transferred from an outside hospital with leukemia. The nursing staff at the hospital assessed the patient as a “standard fall risk,” as they had no prior fall history.

However, that patient was later diagnosed as nonverbal with a subdural hematoma after they hit the back of their head on a closet door while walking to the bathroom, according to the report. At the time of the fall, the patient was reported as having a “sudden urinary and fecal incontinence.”

The report stated that the patient had become nonverbal during CT testing.

An investigation into that incident revealed the patient should have been classified as “high-risk” due to their “diagnosis, comorbidities, and medications,” the report said. Investigators also believe the IV pole was a factor in the fall.

“Since the patient’s risk for falls was not assessed accurately, appropriate interventions were not in place, such as a room closer to the nursing station or the use of a bed alarm,” the report stated.

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Delays in treatment are the third-highest reported event, and may happen due to “inadequate assessments, communication failures, or human factors, such as timely diagnostic testing, labs, and imaging.”

The department said the trend of increased medical mistakes could be caused by workforce shortages and residual effects from the pandemic.

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‘Culture’ of violence: Maryland National Guard abused at-risk teens, records claim

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‘Culture’ of violence: Maryland National Guard abused at-risk teens, records claim


At the Maryland National Guard Freestate Challenge Academy, a residential boot camp and educational program for at-risk and troubled youth owned and operated by the Guard, staff abused the teens in their care, according to court records and criminal complaints The Baltimore Sun reviewed. The teens then, in turn, assaulted each other, even participating in an after-hours fight club.

The Sun reviewed more than 400 pages of documents, including two sets of criminal charges, a lawsuit and all serious incident reports filed since 2019 that documented allegations of cadet violations, as well as investigations into allegations of inappropriate staff behavior and subsequent disciplinary records.

In all internal documents provided by the program, the names of cadets and staff involved were redacted.

Time and again, staff members hit, humiliated or encouraged others to hurt the teens in their care at the Aberdeen Proving Ground camp, internal records indicate. Time and again, camp leaders fired the offending staff members, or cadre, as they are called in the camp’s military parlance; put them on administrative leave or “took them off the schedule,” the records said. At times, they referred the allegations to law enforcement.

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1 man dead in shooting at Walgreens involving Maryland Heights police officers

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1 man dead in shooting at Walgreens involving Maryland Heights police officers


ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (First Alert 4) -The St. Louis County Police is actively investigating an officer-involved shooting at a Walgreens on Dorsett and McKelvey roads, which resulted in one man dead, Sunday evening.

According to police, at around 6 p.m., Maryland Heights police officers responded to the Walgreens on the 12000 block of Dorsett.

Once arriving, officers found a man with a gun. The man fired at the officers. One officer returned fire.

The man was hit and pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.

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No officers were injured. St. Louis County Police Bureau of Crimes Against People detectives responded and assumed responsibility for the case.

The officer involved in the shooting is 30 years old, with two and a half years of experience with the Maryland Heights Police Department. The officer has previous experience in law enforcement.

Police say this is an active investigation, information will be shared as it becomes available.

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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Michigan State grades vs Maryland: Jonathan Smith embraces his gambler

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Michigan State grades vs Maryland: Jonathan Smith embraces his gambler


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Free Press sports writer Chris Solari rates Michigan State football on a scale of A to F after the Spartans’ 38-28 win over Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 29, at Ford Field in Detroit.

Offense: B

While there were drives that stalled and sputtered, MSU played one of its most complete games under coach Jonathan Smith, relative to the competition. The offensive line – on to its nation-high seventh different starting group and 11th new starter – delivered a sack-free performance for the first time in two seasons against an FBS opponent under position coach Jim Michalczik, and the program’s first game without a sack allowe since Nov. 18, 2023, at Indiana. That allowed quarterback Alessio Milivojevic to throw for 292 yards and a career-best four touchdowns, spreading the ball to eight different receivers. And it allowed the Spartans’ running backs to pick up 161 yards combined as holes opened all game.

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Defense: C

MSU needed to steady the ship once the Terps turned to quarterback Malik Washington to throw and throw and throw some more, 61 passes in Maryland’s 77 offensive plays. The freshman delivered with 459 passing yards, much of it coming over the middle to exploit season-long coverage issues there, as the Spartans bent time and again. But when a big play was needed most, junior captain Jordan Hall delivered two big ones – hitting Washington on a third-down throw and then combining with cornerback Aydan West for a sack to force a turnover on downs the next play. Defensive back Aveon Grose, making his first start as a Spartan, sealed it with an interception after that. But MSU was abysmal on third down before then, allowing the Terps to go 9-for-16.

Special teams: A

That A stands for Alante Brown. After missing nine games with a broken foot, the sixth-year senior kick returner touched the ball once in his final game – and returned a third-quarter kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in his last touch as a college player. Punter Ryan Eckley continued his strong season by pinning Maryland inside the 20 on four of his five punts and averaged 47.6 yards, while kicker Martin Connington delivered a short field goal. And after coverage busts a week earlier at Iowa proved costly, the Spartans shored things up to prevent any Saturday.

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Coaching: B

MSU could have packed it in weeks ago, but Smith and his staff continued to maximize the fight internally and finally got a win to end an eight-game losing streak. Offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren dialed up a strong plan to keep Milivojevic moving the chains and away from pressure. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s group found enough moxie in the fourth quarter to finally stop the Terrapins. And Smith remained true to himself while showing a bit of a gambler, going for it on fourth-and-7 at the Terps’ 10 after the 2-minute timeout and coming out with a touchdown that put the game away.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

 Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes on Apple PodcastsSpotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts.





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