Hope you read our article on how you can avoid catching an infection while you are in the hospital. Well, here’s another thing to keep in mind. It’s always advisable to have someone accompany you in the hospital to keep an eye on your care.

The Dallas Morning News (8/1, Dunklin, Ambrose) reported that “national medical research increasingly supports the long-held concern that poor supervision of doctors-in-training at teaching hospitals contributes to patient harm, even death.” Two months ago, a study led by University of California-San Diego researchers “reported a 10 percent increase nationally in medication errors that killed patients during the month of July, the traditional start date for new residents.” A 2008 report by the Institute of Medicine “urged that residency programs have ‘measurable standards,’ such as when and how residents consult faculty doctors.” This summer, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education proposed “updated guidelines that are to be refined before adoption next year.”