Articles Tagged With:
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Long COVID Hits Healthcare Workers
A Government Accountability Office report estimates long COVID has “potentially affected up to 23 million Americans, pushing an estimated 1 million people out of work.” This population is a moving target — at any given time, some may be clearing it while others are just starting to succumb to its spiderweb of symptoms. Some have experienced long COVID since the beginning of the pandemic, and their return to baseline health is in question.
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Meet Lynda Enos: The Occupational Health Master
Lynda Enos is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and an occupational health expert. Hospital Employee Heath spoke with Enos between her many speaking engagements and consulting work.
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Wash Your Hands to Prevent Patient Deaths
Healthcare workers generally self-report hand hygiene compliance at much higher levels than the observers watching them. In one Japanese study, healthcare workers reported a handwashing average of 77% before touching a patient. Shockingly, the actual compliance tracked by observers was 12%.
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Harsh Criticism for New Report on ED Diagnostic Errors
New research that might have injected renewed vigor into improving diagnostic performance in the ED has instead prompted much uproar. In the emergency medicine community, that discussion has been overshadowed by biting criticism about the data and the methodologies investigators used to reach their conclusions — and what some are calling unfair blame placed at the feet of emergency providers.
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Evaluation and Management of Angioedema in the Emergency Department
This article examines the differences between various mechanisms of angioedema, reviews clinical presentations and diagnostic considerations, and discusses management techniques.
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Plaintiff Can Pursue Alternate Liability in Claim of Missed Cancer
This case is a lesson in the difference between joint and successive tortfeasors. A physician’s potential liability may be determined by this distinction.
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Malpractice During Cardiac Catheterization Results in Death, $4.36 Million Verdict
This case highlights both the direct and indirect liability in a medical malpractice action, particularly where the negligent acts are performed by an employee. Here, the principal issue is whether the surgeon failed to exercise reasonable care and diligence in performing the cardiac catheterization procedures, and whether said failure caused the patient’s death.
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Adverse Event Rates Still High Among Hospitalized Patients
The results of a recent study indicated adverse events remain disturbingly common for hospitalized patients, with 24% of admissions resulting in at least one adverse event that caused harm. The research shows adverse events are too common despite decades of attention from the healthcare community.
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Even One Paid Malpractice Claim Predicts More in the Future
Physicians with even one single paid malpractice claim are much more likely than those with no paid claims to experience more paid claims later, according to a recent study. Researchers examined all paid malpractice claims against U.S. physicians between 2004 and 2018. They found paid claims are not the result of bad luck or an inevitable part of practicing medicine, as many physicians think.
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Avoid Patient Abandonment Claims with Education, Follow-up
Patient abandonment claims can arise when a physician or hospital can no longer care for a patient or when there is insufficient follow-up. The risk can be ameliorated with proper procedures and communication.