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National Action Plan: Five goals to best the bugs
The White House recently released a national action plan that calls for “aggressive action” to move the nation towards major reductions in the incidence of urgent and serious drug-resistant threats including carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium difficile. Here are key goals and strategies in the pla.:
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National antibiotic action plan targets top threats
The recently issued “National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria” includes goals to be achieved by 2020.
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D-Day: Unprecedented national plan aims to save the antibiotic era
Antibiotic stewardship to rein in the rampant misuse and overuse of drugs is a national priority involving the highest levels of the federal government.
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Complications post-thyroid surgery lead to patient death, $1.3 million verdict
News: A patient undergoing thyroid surgery was accompanied to the hospital by her sister and daughter. After surgery, the patient began to struggle with her breathing. The patient’s sister and daughter observed the surgeon and nurses work on the patient for more than 30 minutes, during which time the patient’s condition deteriorated until the patient stopped breathing and lost her pulse, which led to permanent brain injury. The patient died 10 days later.
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Failure to diagnose cauda equina syndrome results in $2.5 million verdict from jury
News: A 19-year-old woman sought treatment at a local hospital ED for severe lower back pain and pelvic numbness. A nurse practitioner quickly discharged her and attributed the symptoms to common back pain. The ED physician failed to consult with the patient, but subsequently approved the nurse’s actions. Two days later, the patient was diagnosed with cauda equine syndrome but had suffered serious and permanent injuries.
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Impaired physicians have ethical obligation to self-report, experts say
Do physicians have diminished capacity as a result of substance abuse, burnout, behavioral or psychological issues, or physical illness? Regardless of the reason for impairment, physicians have an ethical obligation to protect their patients from harm.
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Parents eager for newborn genomic testing; ethical questions currently unanswered
Parents have widespread interest in genome sequencing for newborns, regardless of their demographic background, according to a recent study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital. Researchers queried 514 parents within 48 hours of a child’s birth.1
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Voice ethical concerns — not just during consults, but organizationwide
Clinical ethicists can voice concerns not just during consults involving individual patients, but also more generally to address organizationwide issues.
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Disruptive behavior isn’t always addressed, either in policy or practice
Disruptive behavior remains a common occurrence in health care; organizations may lack policies to identify, prevent, and address such behavior.
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How bioethicists can encourage disclosure of medical errors
Despite patients’ growing expectations that medical errors and unexpected outcomes will be disclosed openly, the practice is infrequent.