Hospitals often use blood thinners to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by preventing blood clots in arteries and veins. There are two types of blood thinners: anticoagulants and anti-platelet drugs.

Recently, the Anticoagulation Forum announced new guidelines for the use of anticoagulants.  The Anticoagulation Forum includes healthcare experts who are focused on improving anticoagulant care.  According to the organization, there should be standardized dosing protocols for anticoagulants and blood thinners on every hospital floor, and these protocols should be accessible through the electronic medical record system.

The researchers also said that having a pharmacist during patient rounds can also help reduce the risk of medication errors by as much as 70 percent.

The Anticoagulation Forum recommends that every hospital have:

• A team of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists involved in the care of each patient.
•  A system that identifies and tracks patients receiving the anticoagulants.
•  Better staff training and patient education.
• Stronger procedures to transition patients safely from inpatient to outpatient status.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260838.php 

A new analysis of data by the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority found a significant number of errors when a hospital used both paper records and electronic medical records. Often, the errors were the result of staff miscommunication and overlooking of critical information.

Approximately 74 percent of the errors were related to medication mistakes, which often have the potential to cause serious patient injury.

Many hospitals around the country are moving toward a paperless medical record system based entirely on electronic documentation. However, the transition can be tricky, and hospitals need to have a system to make the move error-free.

Other studies also have found communication problems related to electronic records. When a hospital moves to electronic records, medical personnel need to collaborate to avoid miscommunication. It also is important for a hospital to set up a system of accountability and to regularly monitor and evaluate the use of electronic records.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• http://www.patientsafetyauthority.org/ADVISORIES/AdvisoryLibrary/2013/Jun;10(2)/Pages/55.aspx

Professor Joanna C. Schwartz surveyed more than 400 personnel involved in hospital claims management and quality improvement. The survey confirmed that in recent years, many hospitals have begun to revise their attitude towards medical errors and the resulting malpractice lawsuits.

Many hospitals have begun to move toward greater transparency about errors, Schwartz writes. More than 80 percent of the hospitals in the study have an official policy of apologizing to patients after medical errors occurred. In fact, Schwartz writes, many hospitals use information revealed in lawsuits in their efforts to reduce errors and improve patient safety.

Her findings strongly rebut claims that the threat of malpractice lawsuits prevents the transparency needed to spot and learn from medical errors.

As hospitals institute new programs supporting apologies and early settlement offers, patients should keep in mind that they are not represented in this process unless they retain outside counsel.  Risk Managers and hospital “Patient Advocates” may imply that they are on the side of the patient in the negotiation process, but they are, nonetheless, employees of the hospital.  In many cases, the lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker encourage patients to consult an attorney with experience representing plaintiffs, before agreeing to a direct settlement with a hospital.

The medical negligence lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical malpractice by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/opinion/how-health-care-is-learning-from-lawsuits.html?r=5&

In robotic surgery, a doctor at a computer console controls robotic arms that hold surgical tools. Robotic surgeries are generally touted as causing less blood loss and postoperative pain, fewer complications, and shorter hospitalizations for patients.  Many hospitals have begun advertising robotic surgery in their brochures.

However, as the lawsuits by injured patients allege, robotic surgeries have not been without serious complications. Errors related to robotic surgery reportedly have resulted in at least five fatalities. There are reports of a robot slapping a patient on the operating table and grasping a patient’s tissue without letting go.

A study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association raised doubts about robotic surgery. The researchers at Columbia University reviewed records of 264,000 women who had hysterectomies. They found that robotic uterus removal cost a third more than a standard minimally invasive hysterectomy, without reducing the rate of complications.

The Food and Drug Administration, which cleared the da Vinci system for use in 2000, is closely examining the reports of errors. In January, the FDA sent out surveys to surgeons about the safety of Intuitive’s robotic surgical instruments.

In some cases, the patients and their family members allege that a doctor’s lack of training to operate the robotic system led to errors during surgery.

Intuitive Surgical has prevailed in an initial round of lawsuits, according to a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek. But each case of surgical error has its own facts. The company’s robotic devices are used in a number of surgeries, including hysterectomies and prostate operations. If you suspect that you have been harmed by a surgical error during robotic surgery, speak to a knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney.

The medical negligence lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical malpractice by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Sources: www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-25/in-robot-surgeons-vs-dot-lawyers-a-win-for-the-machines

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323764804578314182573530720.html

• A Facebook Status update: “I can’t believe how much I drank last night!  Remember kids, don’t mix pain pills with alcohol!”
• A Twitter feed:  “We are stuck in the ER because the stupid idiot of a doctor doesn’t know what he is doing.  He is such a complete moron.  #incompetent”
• Pictures on Tumblr:  “Here are some great pictures of our hike!” (Taken a few days after an injury)

More than one billion people have active Facebook pages.  There are more than four billion pictures posted to Instagram, and 500 million people use Twitter.  Yelp boasts 78 million users.

The best advice for potential clients who do not currently have a social media presence is that they keep it that way, at least until the case is resolved.  However, many of our clients use social media as part of daily life, making a total ban impractical.  Here are six suggestions to consider:

1-      Control who can view your social media.  Go through your sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and choose the highest possible security settings.  It is a good idea to hide your “friends” lists to anyone who is not your own “friend.”

2-      Do not vent about bad medical care on social media.   These days, many people are accustomed to offering real-time reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other experiences.  Similarly, it may be tempting to post your thoughts about a bad health care experience. Unfortunately, these posts and comments can be used against you if you find yourself involved in a medical negligence lawsuit.

3-      Do not talk about your legal matters on social media.  This can be difficult when your case is weighing on your mind and you want to share, but it is important to be silent online about your case. 

4-      Use good judgment.  Use discretion when posting messages or photographs. If someone tags you on a photograph, consider clicking “remove the tag” if it isn’t a picture you would post yourself.  This is a good idea for everyone, regardless of whether you are considering a lawsuit. 

5-      Do not “friend” your lawyers (or their staff) while your case is pending.  Creating online links between you and your lawyer can create problems.  Your attorney will most likely ask about your Facebook page and other social media, but it is better to share this by sitting down together and talking about it than by “friending” your lawyer. 

6-      Watch out for moles.  Sometimes, people who are investigating a plaintiff will try to “friend” the person on Facebook, connect on LinkedIn, or find other ways to gain access to more information about a plaintiff.  The best thing to do is assume that everyone can see everything on your pages, and post accordingly.  However, it also helps to make sure you really know the people who join your social networks.  Take a moment to ask yourself, “Who is that person?  Do I really want to give him or her access to my information?”

Following these rules eliminates many potential problems, but be sure to talk to your lawyer about your own social media presence.  Even if something is a little embarrassing, we always tell clients that we would rather find out now than find out later on in the litigation process.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

The Journal of the American College of Surgeons recently published the results of the study. The researchers recruited a team of 15 surgeons, who were placed in a simulated noise environment. The noise in this environment was very similar to the kind of noise that a surgeon might hear in an operating room. The surgeons were then given certain tasks to measure their ability to comprehend speech.

They had to understand and repeat words under different noise conditions – a quiet environment, light noise filtered through a surgical mask, background noise without music, and background noise with music. They had to understand and repeat the words in this environment while performing a specific surgical task.

The researchers found that the surgeons’ ability to comprehend speech was definitely affected by the noise in the operating room. Background music also had a negative effect on the surgeons’ ability to understand words said to them.

The results of the study are very distressing, because failure to understand what is being said, or any kind of communication breakdown in the operating room, increases the risk of surgical errors, with potentially serious consequences.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• www.medscape.com/viewarticle/804176

A prominent nursing group has just released a statement supporting this piece of legislation.

The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2013 was introduced by Rep. Lois Capps, a California Democrat, and Rep. David Joyce, a Republican from Ohio. The legislation would require hospitals that serve Medicare patients to create and establish staffing committees.

Each staffing committee would be entrusted with the task of developing an effective and efficient staffing plan that takes into consideration the medical needs of patients. At least 55 percent of the members of a committee would be nurses involved in the direct care of patients.

In developing a staffing plan, a committee would consider the level of education and training of nurses as well as the degree of experience needed by registered nurses who provide care.

The Emergency Nurses Association, a prominent nursing group, recently announced its support for the legislation.

Staff shortages can leave nurses stressed, fatigued, and overworked, creating a high risk of serious medical errors, such as medication mistakes.  When nurses are responsible for more patients than they can handle, patient safety may be compromised.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• www.ena.org/media/PressReleases/Pages/SafeStaffingAct.aspx

The study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, finds that interns spend much more time on indirect patient care than on direct patient care.

The researchers at John Hopkins University School of Medicine tracked 29 medical residents at four large academic medical centers over a period of three weeks. They found that 64 percent of the interns’ time was spent on indirect patient care, such as looking up a patient’s medical history, placing orders, and filing electronic documentation. Approximately 15 percent of their time was spent on educational activities, such as going on medical rounds, while 7 percent was spent on other activities.

Overall, the interns spent just about 7 percent of their time at patients’ bedsides interacting with them. The researchers found that the interns spent an average of only eight minutes per day on direct interaction with each patient they treated. This is far too little time for what is one of the most critical areas of training for medical residents. Greater interaction can reduce the chances of a misdiagnosis.

“One of the most important learning opportunities in residency is direct interaction with patients,” said Dr. Lauren Block, the study leader and a clinical fellow in general internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in a press release. “Spending an average of eight minutes a day with each patient just doesn’t seem like enough time to me.”

The modern medical system has expanded the duties of medical residents, leaving them with less time for patient interactions, the researchers said.  In fact, according to the researchers, the time that medical residents spend with patients has actually been declining continuously since 2003, when hospitals were first required to limit consecutive work hours for interns.

“Getting to know patients better can improve diagnoses and care and reduce medical errors,” Dr. Block said.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• John Hopkins Medicine, press release April 23, 2013.
• http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=675706

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s campaign is aimed at educating medical professionals about the condition, which is high blood pressure that occurs in the lungs. Symptoms include breathlessness, dizziness, chest pain, fainting, and a dry cough. Patients’ limbs begin to swell, and they may also suffer from loss of energy. Over time, the vessels between the heart and the lungs become narrower and stiffer, ultimately resulting in heart failure.

Many of the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension are also found in a number of other medical conditions, which explains why the condition is often misdiagnosed.

In the past, misdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertension did not affect patient fatality rates, because there were no available treatments for this condition. However, now there are at least nine different treatments that can help a person suffering from pulmonary hypertension live a longer life. But the longer a correct diagnosis is delayed, the lower a patient’s chances of surviving the condition.

Medical professionals now have enough information about the symptoms of pulmonary hypertension to differentiate the condition from others with similar symptoms, such as asthma. Unfortunately, even with this extra information, misdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertension is extremely widespread in American hospitals. In fact, in many cases, the misdiagnosis continues for years, even as the patient’s condition progressively worsens.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• http://www.phassociation.org/SometimesItsPH

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reviewed medical malpractice payouts of more than $1 million and found that they amounted to approximately $1.4 billion a year. That is less than 1 percent of the national cost of health care.

The researchers reviewed medical malpractice claims from the National Practitioner Data Bank between 2004 and 2010.  During this period, there were more than 77,600 medical malpractice payouts. Catastrophic payouts of over $1 million made up 7.9 percent of the claims.

Payouts of more than $1 million were more likely to occur when a patient under the age of one is killed or injured as a result of medical negligence, when patients suffered quadriplegia, brain damage, or other serious injuries requiring long-term care, or when the patients’ injuries related to anesthesia errors.

More than a third of the catastrophic payouts involved a physician with a previous claim in the database.

The study includes only payouts on behalf of individual health care providers, not on behalf of hospitals or other corporations. That means that the overall number of payouts for medical malpractice during the period is more than 77,600 by an estimated 20 percent, the study authors said.

The medical injury lawyers at Morrow Kidman Tinker represent victims of medical negligence by doctors, nurses, technicians, and other medical personnel in Seattle and across Washington.

Source:

• http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/National_30/Catastrophic-Malpractice-Payouts-Add-Little-to-Health-Care-s-Rising-Costs.shtml