ED Legal Letter – February 1, 2010
February 1, 2010
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Psychiatric Patient Pitfalls in the ED: What to Catch, When to Release
A National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey indicates that the number of medical emergency department (ED) visits for psychiatric-related reasons jumped from 17.1 to 23.6 per 1,000 population between 1992 and 2001. -
Findings Missed? Make Timely Contact with Patient
When contacted by the radiologist with a discrepancy, what should you do first? -
Reduce Risks from Missed Radiological Abnormalities
The cervical spine x-rays of a motor vehicle accident victim with a chief complaint of neck pain appear normal, but fractures are later picked up by a computed tomography (CT) scan. -
What if ED Patient 'Fails to Mitigate' Damages?
A patient presents with a traumatic dirty wound which is not cleaned completely, and is closed by the ED physician with contaminant still present. The debris in the wound causes an infection resulting in tissue loss, which must be repaired by a plastic surgeon with an extensive skin graft. -
Is a Plaintiff Partly at Fault for Bad Outcome?
When a woman presented to an ED complaining of a migraine and requesting a narcotic injection, two nurses and a physician advised this patient she would need a ride home if she received a narcotic. -
How Do You Handle Incidental Findings?
A CT scan of your abdominal pain patient is negative for appendicitis, but the radiologist finds a cystic lesion in the kidneys.