Articles Tagged With:
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A Novel Prediction Tool for Hypoxemia During ICU Intubation
The authors of this retrospective analysis of data from two prospective randomized trials of tracheal intubation created a new risk score calculator to identify patients who may develop severe hypoxemia during this procedure.
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Can Plaintiff Prove Documented ED Evaluation Never Happened?
Inadvertent checking of items is one of the legal risks of electronic medical records. One common scenario: Someone checks a box stating that the patient’s current medications were reviewed. It turns out the patient was taking a medication that was contraindicated to something that was administered in the ED. This can lead to a "he said/she said" situation.
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Report: Liability Fears of Discharging Low-risk Pulmonary Embolism Patients Unfounded
Various investigators have spent the last several years trying to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of outpatient care in a community setting.
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Anaphylaxis-related Lawsuits Allege Exposures to Known Triggers
To reduce the likelihood of anaphylaxis-related litigation, researchers recommend additional anaphylaxis education, provision of epinephrine auto injectors or other alternatives to reduce dosing errors, and stronger safeguards to prevent administration of known allergens.
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Procedure-related Complication? Expect Supervising EP to Be Named
Lack of adequate supervision and procedure proficiency are the two most common allegations plaintiffs level in such cases.
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ED Protocols Might Add to Liability Exposure of Low-risk Chest Pain
Researchers set out to understand how EPs determine risk and decide to admit patients with low-risk chest pain. They surveyed dozens of emergency medicine residents and faculty about their perceived risk of various scenarios and an admission decision. Physicians used qualitative terms in ways that are different from how those terms are used in typical conversation. This can lead to miscommunication during shared decision-making processes. Investigators discovered that EPs considered any probability greater than 1% for acute coronary syndrome enough of a risk to warrant admission.
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In Missed Appendicitis Cases, Presentations Are Early, Atypical
The authors of a recent study discovered that a triage chief complaint that was less indicative of appendicitis correlated with a higher rate of missed appendicitis in one pediatric ED. The researchers concluded that their findings suggest the potential impact of anchoring bias by a triage chief complaint when trying to diagnose appendicitis. However, one analyst advises that the results should be interpreted with caution because the study authors did not look for the denominator of chief complaints.
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Analysis of Closed Malpractice Cases Reveals Lost Chances to Avoid Problems
A recent analysis of several dozen closed ED malpractice claims revealed failed opportunities to avert diagnostic errors and bad outcomes. Investigators analyzed 62 claims that closed between 2008 and 2015 at a large malpractice insurer, discovering some common final diagnoses in the cases in which errors were made.
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Episode 5: Tickborne Illnesses Are a Growing Public Health Threat
Tickborne diseases more than doubled from 2004 to 2016, and Lyme disease, the most common tickborne illness, is spreading at alarming rates. James Bohan, MD, FACEP, associate program director of the emergency department at Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, NY, discusses this public health threat and analyzes current prevention measures and treatments. -
Physician Burnout in the Emergency Department
Researchers continue to quantify increasing physician burnout, tying well-being and work unit safety grades to major medical errors.