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News: A woman underwent elective breast augmentation and, in addition to general anesthesia, was given lidocaine as a local anesthetic. After surgery, in the recovery room, a nurse on duty noticed the patient was unresponsive and twitching.
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While most doctors are against drinking any alcohol while on call, nearly one-quarter of the 135 doctors surveyed in a recent study from Hamilton County, TN, admitted to drinking alcohol while on call. Sixty-four percent reported having encountered colleagues whom they suspected had used alcohol, and 27% thought they had seen physicians impaired by alcohol while on call.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it soon will begin targeted inspections of nursing and personal care facilities experiencing injury and illness rates higher than the industry average.
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Reducing the risks in an environment as complex as the emergency department requires the support and involvement of decision makers at all levels of the organization. Despite the complexity of emergency department (ED) liability, sometimes a review of the basics can greatly reduce your risk and improve patient safety.
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The federal governments plan for vaccinating key health care workers against smallpox immediately set off warning bells for risk managers. Though it appears the risk for health care providers wont be as bad as some initially feared, that doesnt mean you can take the smallpox vaccinations lightly.
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News: An orthopedic surgeon with a history of cocaine abuse operated on a patient and severed a nerve root. During the patients recovery from surgery, the orthopedists drug use became public knowledge, and he resigned from the medical staff. No other physician was assigned to the patient until follow-up surgery was performed.
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An elderly woman with Alzheimer's disease suffered severe bruising on her arms while staying at a residential care facility. Although the facility's director initially told the woman's daughter that the bruises were caused when the director had to restrain the woman from attacking her, the daughter subsequently learned that the bruises resulted when the director became angry at the resident and grabbed and twisted her arms while dragging her across the floor.
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Statutes of limitations can be key in determining whether some malpractice cases move forward or are dead in the water, so a federal appeals panel has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court in Jackson to clarify when the clock starts ticking for medical malpractice claims.
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Risk managers are doing something right in the emergency department and obstetrical units, according to new data showing the frequency and severity of hospital claims are at new lows.
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The major improvements in patient safety in the obstetrics unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston were prompted by a series of tragic errors that led to a stillbirth in 2000.