The family of John Doe has settled a wrongful death case against a physician arising out of communication errors that culminated in Mr. Doe’s dying from cardiac arrhythmia. Mr. Doe’s death occurred after he was discharged from a Missouri teaching hospital without a commonly prescribed wearable device that administers a defibrillator shock to the heart to restore normal heart...
Read MoreRecently a study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that when it comes to patient safety, little progress has been made. Although safety has been a recent area of focus for many hospitals, the study found that nearly one in five patients were injured during their stay by doctors, nurses or hospital staff. This was the first...
Read MoreClient, a 36-year-old master electrician, accompanied by a co-employee electrician reported to a fast food restaurant to replace a heating element on a hot food holding table. As was their customary habit in performing this task, the electricians turned off the circuit breaker that supplied electricity to the table to cut off all electricity to it. After replacing the...
Read MoreIn this case, a man in his fifties, with no prior issue with immobility of skin integrity, was hospitalized while on pain medications and otherwise in and out of consciousness. One of the important things in a situation like this is that the patient must be routinely repositioned in order to avoid the development of pressure sores. This wasn’t...
Read MoreThere likely isn’t anyone who would disagree that substance abuse of any kind has a deleterious effect on people. You don’t function with as much clarity and speed when you are impaired by drugs or alcohol. That’s why random drug testing is becoming so common in so many areas of society. Pro and college athletes face such tests. So...
Read MoreThe Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act (S. 841) has been passed to help protect the blind and other pedestrians from the danger of new silent electric and hybrid vehicle technology. President Obama signed the bill into law on January 4, 2011. Pedestrians and bicyclists benefit from hearing vehicles in situations when they cannot see them coming. The new vehicle technology...
Read MorePeople have a variety of opinions about where the worst drivers are in the United States. The states with more urban areas, like New York or California, may come to mind. A recent study sought to quantifiably determine the answer to this question and came up with some results that may be surprising to many. It found Missouri drivers...
Read MoreIn late February, the New York Times revealed startling patterns of patient neglect at many of the nation’s long-term care facilities. Since that time, the Senate Finance committee has initiated an investigation into allegations of inferior care and deaths in long-term care facilities, with a special focus on Select Medical Corporation. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office is further examining...
Read MoreA recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found a startling difference between the protection provided by cars with a “good” side-impact crash rating and cars with a “poor” crash rating. A car’s side-impact rating may mean the difference between life and death for passengers if their car is hit on the side. Of course,...
Read MoreWhen a car crash happens due to a motorist’s negligence, those injured may seek relief through legal action. In a personal injury suit, the proper preservation of evidence may make the difference in determining accident fault and liability. Preserving the Accident Scene It is important to know who you should contact and what you should do after a car...
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