As you know from our blog, medical malpractice takes many forms and occurs for many reasons. We have previously reported on how the medical community is slow to adapt to changes in behavioral patterns of the population that impact the incidence of certain medical conditions. For example, we reported earlier how the obesity epidemic is increasing [...]
Heart attacks remain one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Much attention has been given to prevention of heart attacks through diet, exercise and smoking cessation. Despite these efforts, heart attacks still happen in abundance. More attention is needed on what to do when a heart attack happens. The key to surviving heart [...]
Over 12,000 new cases of cervical cancer occur in the U.S. each year. About 4,000 women die annually from the disease. In an effort to improve timely diagnosis of the disease, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published updated guidelines on cervical cancer screening. These guidelines parallel recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American [...]
Emergency medicine has become an important profit center for hospitals. Not only does emergency care itself produce income for hospitals, but dedicated emergency departments are critical magnets for patients who will be admitted for lucrative testing and treatments. As with other areas of medicine, the profit motive in emergency care can lead to dangerous decisionmaking. In this regard, care providers [...]
In emergency medicine, triage nurses perform a critical function. When a patient arrives at the ER, the triage nurse is the first skilled provider to see them. "Triage" means "the medical screening of patients to determine relative priority of for treatment." The triage nurse is vested with responsibility for determining patients' acuity, the chief presenting complaint and, [...]
Medical malpractice often occurs at the time of discharge. A recent study published in the Academic Emergency Medicine journal showed that many patients do not understand discharge instructions that are given at the conclusion of their hospital admission. The study was performed by having nurses interview English-speaking patients within 48 hours of a hospital discharge to [...]
Medical malpractice rates are at epidemic proportions. Yet, the culture of medical negligence is alive and well. What does this mean, a "culture of medical negligence"? For starters, it is easy to understand that medical malpractice did not become the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. by accident. No, forces are at work that [...]
I predict an increase in medical malpractice cases arising out of failure to undertake proper suicide prevention measures. My prediction is based on recent trends in suicide rates and the medical community's typical failure to keep pace with such societal trends. We have all heard the PSA that goes "suicide is preventable and its causes are [...]
Victims of medical errors typically experience a range of emotions, including confusion, disbelief, grief, guilt, betrayal and anger. In the aftermath of this emotional rollercoaster, many people have a burning desire to hold the responsible parties accountable. People often feel strongly that they don't want this catastrophe to happen to anyone else. While this sense of injustice [...]
Mishkind Kulwicki Law recently settled a case involving medical errors that occurred when a patient was transferred from one facility to another. We often see mistakes made at this critical time. In fact, physicians have a name for this common type of error: "hand-off error." Typically, the error occurs when key information about the patient is not communicated [...]