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Errors involving insulin were commonly reported to Pennsylvania's Patient Safety Authority in 2010, with 52% of 2695 events leading to a patient possibly having received the wrong dose or no dose, and 49 resulting in harm to the patient.
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After a child was diagnosed with acute appendicitis at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, MO, the ED physician ordered antibiotics and dosed the patient according to the weight that was in her chart.
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A mother rushes into your ED and states that her child is having an asthma attack, but the child seems to be breathing normally.
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An 85-year-old man who reports vomiting and diarrhea after an injury, and also happens to be on beta blockers, might have a blood pressure of 120/70 and heart rate of 82 and "look absolutely normal, even though in reality he is hypotensive and tachycardic, and he is in shock," says Justin Milici, RN, MSN, CEN, CPEN, CFRN, CCRN, TNS, education specialist for the ED at Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
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"More and more" preteen and adolescent patients are coming to the Emergency Department Trauma Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee with a variety of psychosocial needs, and many have underlying medical conditions as well, says Carrie L. Baumann, RN, BSN, patient care supervisor.
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A female patient told ED nurses that her only complaint was back pain, with no shortness of breath, chest pain, discomfort, nausea, or vomiting.
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Did a surgeon examine your abdominal pain patient, or did a gastroenterologist give a second opinion on a complex issue? Unless this is documented appropriately, the ED physician may be the only one left "on the hook" if a bad outcome occurs.
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One legal question is what standard of care the ED would be held to in the event of a lawsuit involving an admitted boarded patient's bad outcome.
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When an admitted patient is boarded in the ED for extended periods, there may be confusion over who is responsible for the patientis it the ED physician, the hospitalist, the surgical specialist, or the medical specialist?
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Administering medication in the emergency department (ED) or prescribing medication upon discharge exposes the ED physician to liability. When there are resultant complications, side effects, or injury as a result of a medication, lawsuits often are filed. This article will discuss the ED physician's duty to warn and will provide general guidelines on whether a pharmacist or a physician will assume liability in a given situation.
