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Allegations made against a hospital for delaying evaluation and treatment and causing the patient to deteriorate can easily be extended to the emergency physician (EP).
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Health care providers are very fortunate to be compensated while performing a vital public service. However, most are honored to provide volunteer service, giving selflessly to their friends, communities, and often strangers. What could be more rewarding than serving mankind? What are the downsides?
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Given the soaring stress levels and high stakes of medical malpractice litigation, it’s probably not uncommon for an emergency physician (EP) defendant to have a fleeting thought of giving incorrect information during the discovery process.
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If a patient’s bad outcome is clearly due to inadequate ED nursing staffing, the emergency physician (EP) on duty could end up being liable, even if he or she provided entirely appropriate care.
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Emergency physicians (EP) can expect to be named in any malpractice lawsuit involving care provided by a physician assistant (PA), but the question then becomes “Will the EP get dropped from the case?”
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Syncope is the sudden loss of consciousness and postural tone with spontaneous recovery precipitated by cerebral dysfunction.
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(Editor's note: This is a two-part series on prevention of hospital-acquired infections in the ED. This month's issue provides information on avoiding infections when invasive procedures are performed, reducing the risk of infection with peripheral IV insertion, using alternatives to invasive procedures, giving central line education to ED nurses, and decreasing the use of central lines and urinary catheters. Next month, we'll cover how to determine if your patient has arrived at the ED with an infection, tips for cleaning the equipment you use, and strategies to improve compliance with hand hygiene.)
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ED nurses gave 2 mg of intravenous (IV) hydromorphone to a 40-year-old man with severe throat pain. After two additional doses were given in an inpatient unit, the man suffered respiratory arrest. He was resuscitated, but sustained permanent central nervous system impairment and died.
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Congestive heart failure (CHF) patients often wait too long to seek medical treatment and arrive in the ED in an acutely exacerbated state, says Eileen Swailes, RN, nurse manager of the ED overflow unit at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip, NY.
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You might be waiting for a physician to order the appropriate steroid for your asthma patient, or you might have difficulty prioritizing due to a heavy patient load.
