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Layers of Legal Protections for Peer Review Committees
A hospital’s executive and officers liability insurance usually will apply to peer review committee members. There also are protections under federal law providing immunity for participation, particularly the Healthcare Quality Improvement Act. There are state-level statutes to provide immunity, although those laws vary widely.
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Best Practices for Recruiting Peer Review Committee Members
Well-run peer review committees are essential to maintaining high-quality performance for physicians and nurses, but recruiting for those committees can be challenging. Physicians and nurses may resist the time commitment or fear legal and professional repercussions from passing judgment on their peers. Those fears can be dispelled by educating physicians and nurses about the peer review process. Savvy recruiting techniques can help create effective peer review committees.
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Providers’ Misconceptions About ‘Duty to Warn’
If a patient expresses intent to harm an individual or a group while in visiting an emergency provider, that provider should try to warn the individual or group of possible harm and also contact law enforcement.
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Finger-Pointing in Nurse Charting Is Opportunity for Plaintiff
Emergency nurses and physicians may not understand the liability implications of using charts to air grievances. A unified defense is recognized as the best approach for all defendants in ED malpractice claims, but finger-pointing notes make it difficult. Physicians and nurses should meet briefly before each shift to discuss the importance of teamwork, not only regarding patient care but also documentation.
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New Guidelines Reinforce Need for Change in Cervical Cancer Screening Practice
Screening standards for cervical cancer have changed over the past two decades, including several updates since the first consensus guidelines, published in 2001 by the American Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology. The 2020 revision is based on data showing that patients’ risk of developing cervical precancer or cancer can be estimated using screening test results, biopsy results, and consideration of personal patient factors.
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Misdiagnosis Top Allegation in Aortic Dissection Malpractice Claims
Failure to timely diagnose, failure to order diagnostic tests, and failure to interpret diagnostic tests were the most frequent allegations in malpractice claims involving aortic dissection, according to an analysis of claims filed between 1994 and 2019.
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Educational Sessions for Women with Opioid Use Disorder Improve Engagement
A Maine family planning clinic launched a program to reach women who experience barriers to reproductive healthcare, counseling, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. The program focused on outreach, sending an educator to various locations and providing an educational session for women who are especially vulnerable, including those who use opioids.
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Overusing CT Scans: Evidence of Decision-Making Helps Defense
Make it clear to patients, families, and anyone who reviews the chart later why a CT was not ordered during the initial visit. If the provider takes the time to explain this, the family is less likely to be angry if there is a delayed diagnosis. Without a discussion at the first visit, the family may believe a CT scan was not ordered because the physician did not take the complaint seriously.
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Study: Risk Assessment for Contraceptives Is Influenced by Cultural Biases
Cultural assumptions create unbalanced risk assessment when the medical community weighs the risks and benefits of common contraceptive methods, the authors of a recent study concluded. Researchers studied contraception risks and assessed how these risks were prioritized in reproductive health providers’ understanding of contraceptives and their potential side effects.
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Study: Contraception Program for Incarcerated Women Can Prevent Pregnancies
An estimated 5% of women in jails are pregnant, and human rights groups and researchers have collected evidence that these women often receive poor care and are neglected. One solution is to provide contraceptive care to incarcerated women who would like to avoid pregnancy.