Did Your Doctor Disregard Your Pain Complaints?
When you’re in pain, one thing that you would never expect is for your doctor to dismiss your complaints. Unfortunately, this happens more often than you might think. If your doctor disregarded your pain complaints and it led to further medical problems, you may be able to hold them liable. If your concern is that… Read more »
Posted in Medical Negligence
Scheduling Errors Can Become Life Threatening Hospital Mistakes
Minor hospital mistakes can end in tragedy for patients. Whether a lab test leads to a misdiagnosis or a prescription error causes an allergic reaction, consequences can be life threatening. In Louisiana, a family has filed a lawsuit against Interim Louisiana State University Hospital, alleging a breach in the standard of care. After being diagnosed… Read more »
Posted in Medical Negligence
Are Older Doctors More Likely To Commit Medical Mistakes?
The American Medical Association (AMA) recently met in Chicago for its annual policy-making meeting, where it discussed whether aging doctors should be given competency tests. Discussion about testing comes at a time when there are more than 240,000 physicians over the age of 65, about one-fourth of all doctors. Unlike other professions, such as piloting… Read more »
Tags: MedicalMistakes
Posted in Medical Negligence
Can Being Mean to Your Child’s Doctor Lead to Worse Care?
It is essential for doctors to maintain a healthy state of mind while practicing medicine. Unfortunately, we as patients or family members can sometimes lose our patience. It turns out being rude to your doctor puts them into an unhealthy state of mind and increases the risk of being harmed by a medical mistake. Research… Read more »
Tags: Pediatrics
Posted in Medical Negligence
Are Superbug Infections the Ultimate Patient Safety Threat?
The medical community expressed alarm over a case in Nevada involving an elderly woman who died from a superbug infection. Doctors could not keep the infection from spreading, and later determined she was infected with the superbug CRE. This case is a reminder that superbug infections could become the most serious patient safety threat of… Read more »
Tags: PatientCare
Posted in Medical Negligence
Florida Hospitals Lose Funding for Patient Safety Hazards
Seven hospitals in Northeast Florida are losing Medicare funding for having high rates of hospital-acquired infections and other patient safety hazards. Under a provision in the Affordable Care Act, hospitals are graded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on patient safety. Hospitals are assigned scores on a 10-point scale. Those in the bottom… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medical Negligence
Parents Sue Florida Hospital After Horrifying Medical Mistake
Two parents have filed a lawsuit for medical malpractice after a horrifying medical mistake left their 19-month-old daughter unable to eat solid foods. The child was rushed to a Florida hospital by her mother after swallowing a small lithium button battery. These batteries generate electrical currents when they come into contact with human tissue. After… Read more »
Tags: Tampa
Posted in Medical Negligence
Are Female Doctors Safer Than Their Male Counterparts?
A new JAMA Internal Medicine article has good news for senior citizens receiving treatment from female doctors. They may have better patient outcomes. According to the Harvard doctors responsible for the article, senior citizen patients treated by women had lower mortality rates within 30 days of admission. The data shows 11.07 percent patients treated by… Read more »
Tags: PatientCare
Posted in Medical Negligence
Do Teaching Hospitals Have Higher Rates of Central Line Infections?
Improperly used IV lines are responsible for 20 percent of hospital-acquired infections. An estimated 27,000 people fell victim to central line infections in 2015. One in four patients who develop these infections die. Many hospitals have reduced rates of central line infections by 50 percent since 2008. However, a new study released by Consumer Reports… Read more »
Tags: Superbug
Posted in Medical Negligence
Can Artificial Narrow Intelligence Improve Patient Safety?
Artificial narrow intelligence (ANI) may play a role in providing care for patients and their families in the near future. According to the Harvard Business Review, ANI systems can offer suggestions, update hospital staff with need-to-know information and prevent medical errors. In many ways, ANI could improve patient safety. ANI systems can gather massive amounts… Read more »
Tags: Futurism
Posted in Medical Negligence