Articles Tagged With:
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Race Disparities Identified in End-of-Life Care
Minority patients receive more aggressive end-of-life interventions than white patients, according to the authors of a recent study. The answer has to do, in part, with the history of maltreatment of vulnerable populations. Some minority patients, or their family members, have been the recipients of substandard medical care.
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Nurses Still Reporting PPE Shortages, Fear of Reusing Single-Use N95s
The chronic problem with adequate stocks of personal protective equipment for nurses continues as the coronavirus pandemic heads into the dreaded fall and winter months. Many nurses feel unsafe because of the shortages — and the continued reprocessing and reuse of N95 respirators, which are designed for single use only — according to the American Nurses Association.
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The Wide Variability in Ethics Consult Mandates
Only half of hospitals have put any policies in place mandating ethics consults in certain situations, according to a recent analysis. These policies share few common features.
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Infection Control, Public Health Groups Call for Action on CDC Testing Change
Many of the nation’s leading infection control and public health groups signed a letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force asking that recent revisions to COVID-19 testing guidelines be rescinded.
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CDC’s Controversial Testing Changes
In contrast to recent guidelines — which emphasized the importance of contact tracing because 40% of cases are asymptomatic — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance on Aug. 24, 2020, stating that individuals who may have been exposed to COVID-19 do not necessarily need to be tested.
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Some Health Departments, Hospitals Ignore CDC COVID-19 Testing Changes
The public health agency with arguably the most admired and emulated approach to combatting infectious disease outbreaks worldwide finds its latest advice on COVID-19 testing widely criticized and openly disregarded. Amid the worst pandemic in a century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is dispensing advice to those who say they will not follow it.
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Incorrect Intubation Results in Brain Damage, $16 Million Award
This case presents a rare occasion where a defendant care provider — a federally funded hospital — acknowledges and stipulates to liability, rather than challenging liability in the first instance. It is a rare occasion, but not without a logical explanation.
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Appellate Court Affirms $10.3 Million Verdict in Cerebral Palsy Birth Suit
This case revealed multiple important issues on appeal relevant to medical malpractice cases generally. These issues can be divided into three general groups: issues about causation, issues about periodic payment, and issues about the exclusion of witnesses.
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Evidence of Race Disparities in ED Could Support Negligence Claims
If plaintiffs allege they received poor care in an emergency department (ED) because of their race, there is plenty of potentially admissible research that demonstrates it is indeed possible. People of Black or Latin American descent coming to the ED with cardiac symptoms were less likely to be admitted to specialized cardiology units than white patients, according to the authors of a study.
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Focus on Individual Risks to Reduce Patient Falls
Fall prevention is a constant concern for hospitals and health systems, with great costs involved. It is important not to get stuck in the same old way of thinking when it comes to protecting patients. Take the time to re-evaluate your fall prevention program and look for new opportunities to improve this key aspect of patient safety.