Anesthesia is given to patients in various types of medical care situations (including dental care) in order to help them remain as calm, comfortable, and as safe as possible. Administering anesthesia places the individual into a state of either semi-consciousness or total unconsciousness. It allows medical professionals to perform procedures that would otherwise bring significant [...]
Harvard Business Review (HBR) recently profiled how surgical checklists are making a difference in reducing mistakes and improving medical outcomes. The HBR report profiled a surgical team at a South Carolina medical facility which reduced its mortality rate by a third, increased productivity, and saved more than $4 million a year since instituting the use [...]
In May 2019, Medical Economics reported that there is a rise in medical liability claims involving electronic heath records (EHR). An EHR system should help keep patients’ information current and readily accessible, thus helping to avoid mistakes. While these databases have numerous benefits, electronic health record systems only work as well as the software that [...]
A major USA TODAY study found that hospitals are performing much too may episiotomies despite nationwide guidelines that call for the procedure to only be used in the case of emergencies. Since 2006, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has advised performing the procedure sparingly. “Mothers who receive episiotomies – an incision at the [...]
California Congresswoman Jackie Speier has proposed a new bill that would give soldiers the right to sue the federal government for medical malpractice. Currently, federal law prohibits servicepeople from suing the federal government for medical malpractice. The “SFC Richard Stayskal Military Medical Accountability” bill is named after Army Sgt. First Class Richard Stavaskal, who is [...]
It seems simple enough: take diagnostic images and an oral history. Conduct a physical exam. Read the reports of the treating doctors and nurses. There shouldn’t be any reason then for operating on the wrong part of someone’s body, removing an incorrect organ, or even operating on the wrong patient. And yet, this particularly egregious [...]
A recent study by Clinical Spine Surgery disclosed an alarming and tragic finding. VA surgeons, all too often, are operating on the wrong part of the spines of our veterans. This study revealed that the major causes for this inexcusable type of medical malpractice were mistakes in standard imaging studies. Common errors include mistakes when [...]
Pediatricians, obstetricians, gynecologists, and other birth-delivery doctors should anticipate many of the things that might go wrong during the birth process, in the delivery room, and during the recovery. Experienced doctors reduce the known risks before the delivery and act quickly to take corrective actions when problems occur during the delivery. According to Stanford Children’s [...]
As we age, we spend more time with doctors. Maybe we need blood pressure medication. Perhaps we’ll develop arthritis in our fingers. Maybe there’s an increased risk of cancer, or stroke, or any of the many, many conditions and illnesses that seem to affect the elderly population a bit more. We have every right to [...]
The New York Times reported recently reported on a Risk Analysis study which showed that maternal delivery difficulties increase on weekends, at nights, and during the holidays. The study analyzed pregnancy complications in Texas, from 2005 to 2010. More than two million births occurred in that time period. Per the Times, the study specifically reviews [...]
