ED Legal Letter – June 1, 2011
June 1, 2011
View Issues
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Legal Issues Surrounding the Critically Ill Patient in the ED
Emergency physicians (EPs) are often faced with caring for the impending or actual cardiac arrest patient. -
Nurses' Charting May Deter Patient from Filing Lawsuit
Simply hearing the words, "I am going to sue you ... can send shock waves up your spine," says Michelle Myers Glower, RN, MSN, LNC a health care consultant based in Grand Rapids, MI. -
Did a Patient Threaten to Sue You? Don't Panic or Argue
It is not uncommon for a patient or family member who is unhappy with the services he or she receives in the ED to make threatening statements about filing lawsuits, says Justin S. Greenfelder, JD, a health care attorney with Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs in Canton, OH. -
Risk Increasing for Lawsuits Involving Delayed ED Diagnoses
Errors related to missed or delayed diagnoses are a frequent cause of patient injury and, as such, are an underlying cause of patient-safety-related events, according to new research from the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority,1 which reviewed 100 events related to diagnostic errors between June 2004 and November 2009, 23 of which originated in the ED. -
"Spike" in Suits for These Missed, Delayed Diagnoses
To have a successful lawsuit in cases of missed or delayed diagnosis, a plaintiff needs at least two things, according to Michael Blaivas, MD, professor of emergency medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, GA.