Many things could go wrong in any career, but it is essential to try to avoid mistakes especially in healthcare. You are responsible for someone's life and health. I have seen firsthand the effects of inattention on a patient. My sister was only 22 and was about to have her appendix removed, and instead they took out her fallopian tubes! It all boiled down to the fact that a nurse, working overtime, confused my sister's medical records with those of another patient. My cousin was rushed to the ER and ICU for 2 weeks because a doctor left part of a sponge inside her every time she was having a hysterectomy. It's so scary to think that things like this happen. These are called “never-events” because they are serious incidents that should never have happened and could have been prevented (Reid, 2013). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay If these two incidents occurred with someone making a mistake with a chart or not paying enough attention (WHILE ACTUALLY PERFORMING THE SURGERY), imagine the problems that could occur if someone read a chart and mixed up the abbreviations. While these two incidents that occurred did not result in the confusion of an abbreviation, it very well could have been. I think it would be easier to make the mistake of confusing an abbreviation than forgetting a sponge inside someone! Although doctors using medical abbreviations can make their workflow more efficient and get more work done in less time, this can also cause problems such as crypticity and ambiguity (Tulane University School of Medicine, 2012). Many times I have received written prescriptions or instructions from the doctor and failed to read them. I always wondered how pharmacists could read them sometimes. I understand why certain abbreviations could be fatal. In 2007, according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, a doctor's illegible handwriting (many errors due to unclear abbreviations and dosages) is responsible for more than 7,000 deaths and injures more than 1.5 million of people every year (Caplan, 2007). Some doctors have now switched from pen and paper to electronic prescriptions. 90% of the approximately 550,000 doctors have access to the Internet, but less than 10% of them have started using electronic prescribing systems (Caplan, 2007). Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Even though most are honest mistakes, it is still something that could be prevented. I think it's worth taking the extra time to write something down if it meant the life or death of a patient. No matter the amount of time someone saves by cutting corners, it will NEVER be worth more than someone else's life.