Hospitals once sold cigarettes—what other practices will soon seem silly?

Unbelievably, there was a time when hospital patients were offered cigarettes in their beds or even bummed a smoke from their similarly nicotine-addicted doctors. So a conference hosted by the National Patient Safety Foundation recently asked physicians and nurses: what current hospital practices will elicit the same kind of regret and shame in the future?

STAT News collected a few of the more notable answers, like leaving what a prescription drug actually treats off the label. Gordon Schiff, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, recounted to STAT the story of one patient stopped taking her medication for depression.

“She happened to have her bottles with her,” he said. “It turns out the medicine she actually stopped was for diabetes,” and as a result, her blood pressure spiked. Schiff said including a basic explanation of what the medication is for would help patients, especially the elderly. The problem is getting pharmacies to include the info on the label. 

Other answers seem a long way off from being out of everyday practice. One response dealt with the burden of documentation on physicians, a problem which CMS is trying to address with reduced medical reviews and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).

What other practices do hospital workers think will be as laughable as smoking patients? Click on the link below: