Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) are often the result of medical malpractice. An estimated 250,000 CLABSIs occur every year in the US with 800,000 of them happening in the emergency room. More than 30,000 people die from CLABSI in the US every year. The CDC estimates that the yearly cost…
Medication errors in nursing homes are one of the most common types of medical malpractice. Lack of Physician involvement, lack of adequate staff and training are often the reason why significant medication errors are all too common in nursing homes. Here is an link to an article and a video…
Misdiagnosis is the leading cause of medical malpractice claims. 160,000 patients suffer serious personal injury or wrongful death because of diagnostic errors every year. In her recent article “The Biggest Mistake Doctors Make” Laura Landro from the Wall Street Journal looks at solutions that are being developed by healthcare providers…
Even though a lot of tactics are available now for doctors to avoid medical errors the fear of them happening and constant worry about patients can push doctors to the edge. Physicians burnout is a widespread problem. In a very interesting blog Dr Diane Shanon explains that she was worn…
Many adverse drug events are preventable and constitute Medical Malpractice. An adverse drug event occurs when a patient suffers injury resulting from medication use. Adverse drug events are the results of medication errors or of known side effects that may happen even if the medication is taken correctly. According to…
The unintended retention of foreign objects (URFOs) is medical malpractice that can cause serious personal injury or death. It happens when a surgical team leaves any item or foreign object related to the surgery inside a patient. Most common objects left behind are sponges and towels, small device components or…
In 2014 medical malpractice will represent $0.60 per every $100 of hospital revenue or an average of $135 per hospital admission according to “Hospital and Physician Professional Liability Benchmark report” recently released by Aon and the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management. According to the report the number of medical…
Here is the 2014 top 10 Health Technology Hazards just released by the ECRI Institute. This list is developed every year and highlights the health technology safety topics that the ECRI Institute’s Health Devices Group believes warrant the most attention for the coming year. TOP 10 HEALTH TECHNOLOGY HAZARDS FOR…
Babies recently born in St Luke’s Hospital in New York may have been exposed to tuberculosis, a contagious and potentially deadly disease. The negligent hospital began notifying parents yesterday that a maternity ward worker tested positive for tuberculosis and that their babies should be tested for the disease. The hospital…
A recent study looked at the medical malpractice claims of the 2 largest insurance companies in Massachusetts during five years. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine and led by Doctor Gordon Schiff (Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care) looks at patterns of primary…