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A Look at How ED Defendants Change Practice Habits After Litigation
One could argue that the threat of malpractice liability improves the quality of care delivered to patients. Data were lacking regarding the connection between litigation and subsequent improved quality of care in the ED. To learn more about this, researchers analyzed data from a national EP group practicing at 61 EDs in 11 states between 2010 and 2015. Learn more about those findings.
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Ignored Red Flags in ED Missed Sepsis Claims
Several recent malpractice cases alleging missed sepsis involved triage in some way. Often, the triage nurse does not recognize early signs of sepsis or identifies early signs of sepsis, but the patient remains in the waiting room because the ED is full. When reviewing ED charts in missed sepsis claims, one expert looks for documentation on who the nurse spoke with, whether the ED nurses notified the charge nurse to discuss which patients could be moved to a lesser care setting, and whether the ED nurse asked the nursing supervisor to assist with the process.
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No Professional Interpreter? ED Exposed to Med/Mal, Statutory Risks
Despite state and federal laws requiring professional interpreters be offered to patients with language barriers, many EDs still rely on family members, friends, or untrained staff. The ED chart should show that an interpreter informed the patient of risks of invasive procedures, the ED provider reviewed discharge instructions with the interpreter, and the patient was informed of risks of ad hoc interpreters.
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Pushback Against EMTALA Misinterpretation Emerges
Misinterpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is the focus of a recently published policy statement from the American College of Emergency Physicians.
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Health Systems Tackle Opioid Epidemic With Comprehensive Initiatives
It has been nearly a year since The Joint Commission unveiled new pain management standards as part of an effort to combat the opioid epidemic. While all accredited hospitals are held accountable for their implementation and adherence to the standards, some health systems have responded by centralizing their opioid-related initiatives under a single, purposeful umbrella to produce more powerful results.
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Collaborative Slashes Sepsis Mortality, Produces Tool to Help All Hospitals
For the past six years, The Joint Commission’s Center for Transforming Healthcare (CTH) has been working with health system partners to identify the root causes for sepsis mortality as well as solutions that will address these problems effectively. In the process, participating organizations have reduced their own sepsis mortality rates by a collective 25%, although some organizations have made even greater strides. The work with CTH will culminate in a Targeted Solutions Tool that will enable all accredited hospitals to take on the issue in their own settings.
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Standardizing Diagnosis, Management of Young Patients Who Present With Head Injuries
New guidelines from the CDC have established practice-changing recommendations in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). This information is especially important to frontline providers, as statistics suggest an increasing number of children are presenting to the ED with concussions. The guidelines include 19 sets of recommendations pertaining to the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of pediatric mild TBI. The guidelines identify best practices based on current evidence and are intended to help standardize and improve the way these cases are managed, both while patients are in the doctor’s office or ED and after they have been discharged.
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Hospital Uses Hurricane Florence Near-miss to Improve Emergency Plans
Before the storm made landfall, leaders at East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, SC, reduced the facility’s patient census to a minimum, arranged to house staff for the duration of the storm emergency, and appealed to the state for an exemption to the mandatory evacuation order. The facility avoided the worst of the storm but staff still practiced emergency preparedness anyway, learning lessons to better prepare for future incidents.
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Another Powerful Hurricane Season Underscores Importance of Strategic Planning
While emergency providers in the region proved up to the task, some hospitals report that it was fortuitous that forecasters originally anticipated that Hurricane Florence would make landfall with much stronger winds. This caused many to make additional preparations, which paid big dividends.
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One-third of Long-term Care Workers Skip Flu Shot
A CDC 2017-2018 survey found that only 67% of long-term care workers were immunized.