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, [...]
The American Heart Association announced that Monday, October 29th is World Stroke Day, "a day dedicated to educating communities around the world about the risks, signs and symptoms of stroke." Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Stroke is also a leading cause of long-term disability and a major contributor to healthcare [...]
Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a horrible disease that afflicts about 300 people each year. The condition is poorly understood but it is believed to be caused by an immunological response to various medications, including the antibiotic Bactrim. The young patient will develop rapid progression of erythromatous lesions that can result in a burn-like state, scarring, sepsis, shock [...]
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 [...]
Pulmonary embolism is a leading cause of death and hospitalization in the U.S. There are a number of risk factors for the condition, which occurs when blood clots in the legs (called deep vein thrombosis or DVTs) break free, travel to the lungs and interfere with breathing. If the clot burden is significant enough, patients can [...]
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 [...]
A recent study in Neurology shows that stroke rates are increasing among younger patients. This is concerning, not just a trend in public health, but also in terms of a risk for substandard medical care and medical malpractice claims. When diseases and medical conditions that are typically seen in older patients begin affecting younger patients, [...]
I recently read a great article about surgical errors, 10 Red Flags in General Surgical Malpractice Cases, by another medical malpractice lawyer, Todd Hendrickson. The article lists 10 post-operative developments that can be overlooked by busy surgeons, but should raise concerns. When a surgeon ignores a red flag, there may be grounds for a medical negligence claim [...]
National Nurses United (NNU) is the largest nurses organization in the U.S. They have been front runners in promoting safe hospital practices for consumers, especially through efforts to end unsafe nursing staffing levels -- an all too common hospital practice in American hospitals. This month, NNU was certified as the union for registered nurses at Affinity Hospital in Massillon, [...]
Hospital infections are an increasing problem in the U.S. According to a study published in Gastroenterology, the number of deaths from one such infection, Clostridium difficile infection (also called c diff or c. difficile), have increased from 2195 in 2002 to 7251 in 2009 - a 230% increase. C. Diff is now the 9th leading cause of [...]