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Article posted: 9/10/2012 6:09 AM

Project emphasizes patient safety in hospitals

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Nicole D. James, of Elkridge, Md., spent two extra weeks in the hospital when a doctor added an unneeded medication to her usual care for sickle care anemia without consulting her first.

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Hospitals are rife with infections and opportunities for medical mistakes. Now, a nearly $9 million project at Johns Hopkins University aims to combine engineering with the power of patients and their families to prevent some of the most common threats. The idea: Design patient safety to be more like a car's dashboard, which automatically signals drivers when the oil needs changing or if a passenger forgot to buckle up, or like the countdown systems that make sure no step is missed when a satellite is launched.