As we have seen, medical errors occur for many reasons. The Institute of Medicine report, which shows that the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of patients dies every day in American hospitals due to preventable medical mistakes, lays some of the blame on poor institutional practices. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare have leveled criticism at [...]
Howard Mishkind and David Kulwicki Named to Super Lawyers List 2013 Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. is proud to announce that Howard Mishkind and David Kulwicki were both selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers List for 2013. Mr. Mishkind has achieved this recognition every year since 2006 and Mr. Kulwicki has been named to [...]
There are two scenarios where a cause of death may be reviewed under Ohio law. First, an attending physician who negligently causes his/her patient's death may be the same physician who prepares the Death Certificate. In such a situation, the attending physician has an obvious conflict of interest. The patient's family may want an independent physician [...]
Hospital negligence comes in various shapes and sizes. A clear case of medical negligence occurs when a doctor orders a test but the test is never performed or the results go unread, and the patient dies or is injured as a result of the missed test result. The Archives of Internal Medicine recently published an article showing that physicians [...]
For patients, the intensive care unit (ICU) is a medical refuge where a team of critical care nurses, critical care physicians and other highly trained and experienced caregivers provide constant bedside care to the sickest patients. The care in ICUs is becoming more technical such that specialized ICUs are now cropping up, such as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for newborns, the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]