CLABSI can be medical malpractice. Most infections occur when medical devices are not properly sanitized or when hospital employees are negligent of patients safety regulations. One hospital recently demonstrated that CLABSI can be prevented. The White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles implemented a training program that resulted in zero…
Articles Posted in Medical Malpractice
Top 5 medical malpractice claims against internists
What are the most common medical malpractice claims filed against internists? Which ones have the most chance to be paid? Which ones are the most expensive? A study published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine and led by Sandeep S. Mangalmurti, MD, JD, from the Bassett Heart Care Institute in Cooperstown,…
To reduce the risk of hospital acquired infections, a recent sudy demonstrates that it is usually safer for patients to administer a blood transfusion after the hemoglobin falls bellow 7 or 8 g/dL rather than below 10g/dL
Hospital-associated infection can be medical malpractice. 5% of hospital inpatients develop an infection during their stay. As a result patients who develop an infection usually have to extend their stay in the hospital. Hospital acquired infection if not diagnosed and treated properly can also lead to the death of the…
Preventing Medical Malpractice by involving patients and families
Engaging patients and their families can prevent medical errors and reduce harm to patients. In their latest report “Safety Is Personal: Partnering with Patients and Families for the Safest Care” the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute is advocating for the inclusion of patients and families in clinical activities,…
Young New York woman dies from cosmetic surgery complication in Dominican Republic
Getting cheap cosmetic surgery in a foreign country can be risky. Medical malpractice such as surgical errors and hospital negligence have a higher risk of happening in foreign hospitals because medical standards are lower than in the US. Recently, a young New York woman who decided to go to The…
New York Medical Malpractice: Interesting statute of limitations decisions by the Appellate Division, First Department
Ann Pfau is the Statewide Coordinating Judge of the New York Medical Malpractice Program and former chief administrative judge of the New York State Judiciary. In a recent article in the New York law Journal she looks at two interesting statute of limitations decisions recently handed down by the Appellate…
New York Hospital may have committed medical malpractice by negligently exposing 4000 patients to HIV and Hepatitis
Nurses at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Long Island , NY may have committed medical malpractice by using the same insulin pen on multiple patients. At this point there is no formal proof that it happened but the warning came after a nurse was heard saying that it was acceptable…
Medical Malpractice:every time a hospital increases the workload of a nurse by one patient, it increases the risk of an inpatient dying within 30 days of admission by 7%
Nurse understaffing by negligent hospitals can lead to medical malpractice that affect patients outcome. A recent study compared the 30 day mortality rate of more than 400,000 patients over 50 years old who underwent surgery in 300 hospitals in 9 different European countries to nurse staffing and nurse education for…
Recent Analysis of Medical Malpractice Claims shows Emerging Risks related to Electronic Health Records
A recent study analyzed 147 medical malpractice claims related to Electronic Health Record (EHR) issues and identified that incorrect data entry in the EHR, inconsistency between paper and electronic records as well as system failures were contributing factors in close to 60% of the analyzed claims. The study was released…
Failure to diagnose common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) can be medical malpractice
Often doctors fail to diagnose common variable immune deficiency (CVID). It takes an average of 6 years for patients to receive a correct CVID diagnosis because it is a rare form of immune deficiency that mimics other diseases and causes a variety of disparate ailments. In a recent article in…