Healthcare Risk Management – February 1, 2003
February 1, 2003
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Liability protection given for smallpox vaccinations, but many worries remain
Questions still remain about the plan to vaccinate some health care workers against smallpox as health care leaders debate the safety of the vaccine, how it will worsen the shortage of personnel, and its potential liability concerns. -
New rules: You have mail, and trouble is enclosed
Recently released guidelines on how to safely use e-mail to communicate with patients will become the standard of care in short order, says one expert. That means health providers must comply with the recommendations quickly or risk increased liability. -
Fee-based consultations carry special concerns
Fee-based on-line consultations come with additional risks, according to the eRisk Working Group on Healthcare, a consortium of professional liability carriers, medical societies and state board representatives. -
Try to avoid sensitive material in your e-mail
The SCPIE Companies, an insurer in Los Angeles, recently offered its own advice on reducing the risk of e-mail communication in health care. -
Spot the risky surgeon and predict who might get sued
Certain characteristics may help you spot which surgeons are most likely to have malpractice suits filed against them, allowing you to focus your risk management education on those most in need of help, according to a physician who has studied the phenomenon. -
Medication bar codes can work but problems persist
Researchers have found that a new computer system that uses bar codes to safeguard patients medications can work successfully, but not without creating new, serious problems for nurses charged with patient care. -
Legal Review and Commentary: Infant’s undiagnosed tuberculosis leads to brain damage:$3 million settlement
After several visits to its family physician, an 11-month-old child was taken to a hospital emergency department (ED). The child was then transferred to a childrens hospital, where a test for tuberculosis (TB) was positive. While the TB had gone undiagnosed and untreated, the child developed meningitis, which eventually led to brain damage. -
Legal Review and Commentary: Scalding sitz bath leads to severe burns, $1.5M
A nursing home patient developed a cyst on her labia, and her treating gynecologist ordered a sitz bath to relieve the condition. However, the nurses administering the bath thought they were to treat the affected area with steam and the patient was burned with steam and scalding water. She died seven months later, and the family brought suit against the owner and operator of the facility. -
Single-use devices have their fair share of doubters
The Center for Patient Advocacy recently released a survey of surgeons, operating room nurses, and consumers, which suggests that health care professionals have serious concerns about the reuse of single-use medical devices and their impact on patient health and safety.