The results of medication errors often lead to mild or manageable adverse side effects, but this is not always the case. Sometimes medication mix-ups are life-threatening or fatal for patients. Even delays caused by careful pharmacists who double-check orders can cause serious patient damage.
Using digital technology to transmit prescriptions electronically gives doctors, pharmacists and hospitals a safer alternative to prescriptions written by hand, experts say. Illegibility errors are eliminated, even if human errors remain.
]]> A 2010 Weill Cornell Medical College study of outpatient healthcare providers found that 37 of every 100 handwritten prescriptions contained a mistake. When a computer was used for electronic prescriptions, the rate fell to just 7 errors.Prescription mistakes in hospitals happen far less than in non-hospital settings, according to other studies. Errors with handwritten prescriptions occur about 5 percent of the time at hospitals. However, the consequences can still be deadly. Of the errors hospitals make, 7 percent have the potential to hurt or kill a patient, studies show.
Safety factors alone would seem to push the medical community to embrace the new prescription software, but the transition from paper to digital is not cheap or easy. Providers often need to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to set up workable systems.
Even so, many health care facilities throughout the country are recognizing the benefits. More than one-third of all prescriptions were transmitted by computer last year in the United States, and about 30 percent of hospitals have switched to electronic prescriptions.
Does your health care provider use electronic prescriptions?
Source: The New York Times, "Chicken Scratches vs. Electronic Prescriptions," Randall Stross, April 28, 2012
]]>Recently, federal authorities issued a recall for an inflatable water slide toy that is believed to have caused one death and several serious neck injuries. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced last week that 21,000 inflatable pool slides marketed under the name "Banzai Splash" were being recalled after a 29-year-old woman fractured her neck while using the slide and died.
]]> Authorities have cautioned consumers who purchased the product to stop using it immediately and return it to the place it was purchased. The pool slides were sold at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores throughout the nation from January 2005 until June 2009 for about $250. The stores have agreed to comply with the recall.According to the safety commission, the product can deflate during use, which could result in people hitting their heads on the ground and suffering serious neck injuries. Additionally, the commission said that the safety warnings on the products are inadequate, and that the slides are unstable and can easily tip over during use.
At the time of the fatal accident involving the 29-year-old woman, officials said the slide had been placed at the concrete edge of an underground pool. Because the slide had partially deflated, the woman struck her head on the concrete edge at the bottom of the slide and suffered a fatal neck injury. Officials said at least two other people are believed to have suffered similar injuries using the slide.
No personal injury lawsuits have been reported at this time, but they are certainly a possibility. The recalled products were manufactured in China for Manley Toys, Ltd. They have the barcode number 2675315734 and model number 15734, which can be found on the packaging, but not the actual slide.
Source: CNN, "Reported death, severe neck injuries prompt recall of pool slide," Todd Sperry, May 10, 2012
]]>Recently, a Pennsylvania jury awarded $78.5 million to a woman whose 3-year-old son suffers from cerebral palsy due to faulty diagnostic procedures performed by staff members at the hospital where the child was delivered.
]]> In August 2008, the 34-year-old woman arrived at the hospital with complications that caused her unborn child to be deprived of oxygen. The physician handling the case initially concluded that the baby already had died after performing an ultrasound. However, when an ultrasound was performed again a short time later by other hospital staff members, a fetal heartbeat was detected and an emergency cesarean section was conducted.Experts who testified on behalf of the woman told the jury that a prompt delivery could have prevented the permanent brain damage suffered by the child. The woman's lawyers said that the 81-minute delay caused the condition of the fetus to deteriorate, resulting in cerebral palsy. Had the hospital provided a trained ultrasound technician and not used antiquated equipment, the delay would have been averted, they concluded.
The jury found that the doctor was not responsible, blaming what happened on the hospital. The verdict includes damages for future medical care of the child, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and emotional distress suffered by the woman, who is a single mother.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Phila. jury awards $78.5M in medical malpractice case," Chris Mondics, May 6, 2012
]]>Today, there are approximately 25 million residents in the United States who have limited English proficiency. This is why the government has demanded that all hospitals receiving federal funding provide translation services either in person or via phone or video.
]]> Studies in the past have shown the benefits of providing translation services, including improving care and lowering costs. But a more recent study demonstrated just how important an effective translator can be.The study, which was conducted at two pediatric emergency rooms, showed that instances of miscommunication with the potential of causing serious medical errors were about twice as likely to occur if there was no professional translator or the interpreter was an amateur.
The study involved 57 primarily Spanish-speaking families who were seen in one of two pediatric ERs. A professional translator was available to 20 of the families, ten families had no help with translation and 27 used a non-professional interpreter.
In the cases where a professional interpreter was used, 12 percent of the communication mistakes were determined to pose a health risk to the child. However, when a non-professional interpreter was used, 20 to 22 percent of the translation slips potentially posed a threat to the child.
The study was also able to determine that serious translation errors were least likely to occur when the interpreters had more than 100 hours of training. Only two percent of the translation errors made by these interpreters were determined to be risky to the child.
The lead author if the study concluded that "interpreter errors of potential clinical consequence are significantly more likely to occur when there is an 'ad hoc' or no interpreter, compared with a professional interpreter."
Hopefully this study encourages more hospitals to hire professional translators with adequate training.
Source: Reuters, "Interpreters in ER may limit medical errors: study," April 17, 2012
]]>When cerebral palsy results because of hospital negligence, it is often possible for the parents to pursue a medical malpractice suit for damages on behalf of their child. In these cases, the parents must prove that negligence on behalf of the hospital staff resulted in the birth injury.
]]> Recently, a case like this settled for $5.3 million after the parents of a child born with cerebral palsy accused the hospital of failing to provide the mother with adequate care prior to their child's premature birth. The baby was born 32 weeks into gestation and was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy.Because the mother had been into the hospital on several occasions for observation and treatment, the parents said that "not enough steps were taken to prevent this premature birth." Birth injuries are common in cases where doctors fail to properly recognize, monitor or treat a high-risk pregnancy.
Other injuries that can occur because of negligent care during or immediately after delivery include bleeding in the baby's brain, skull fractures and spinal damages. All of these tragic injuries may be grounds for a birth injury lawsuit against the hospital or attending staff members.
Source: Reuters, "NY Cerebral Palsy Lawsuit Settled for $5.3M," Stephanie Rabiner, Esq., April 13, 2012
]]>However, it was recently reported that the proposal was announced prematurely, and the agency released a statement saying that it was still reviewing the recommendations by the two panels. The statement blamed the early release on a clerical error and said that the proposal will likely be made available to the public for commentary later in the year.
]]> The proposal received by the FMCSA includes the recommendation that all truck drivers with a body mass index of 35 and above be screened for sleep apnea, a condition that can lead to drowsiness during the day. Body mass index compares a person's body fat to height and weight.Additionally, the proposal received by the FMCSA includes a provision that would temporarily disqualify a driver who falls asleep at the wheel or is involved in a crash due to drowsy driving. A 60-day conditional card would be available while the driver is being evaluated or getting treatment for sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea, which is much more common among overweight people with a body mass index of 35 and above, has been linked to many serious trucking accidents caused by drivers who fell asleep while operating 18-wheelers.
People who suffer from sleep apnea often have periods of shallow breathing or a pause in breathing during the night. This disturbance prevents the sufferer from getting a full night's rest, which can lead to severe drowsiness during the day.
Source: Truckinginfo, "FMCSA Withdraws Sleep Apnea Proposal," April 23, 2012
]]>Earlier this month, the hospital agreed to settle the bereaved parents' wrongful death lawsuit for $8.25 million. The baby boy received the lethal dose of sodium chloride after receiving surgery on his head. The tragic medical mistake occurred on Oct. 15, 2010, when the baby was just 40-days-old.
]]> Far from constituting a slight error, the hospital pharmacy prepared and medical personnel administered a medication dosage that was no less than 60 times the amount that the baby's doctor had authorized. The result was the sudden death from cardiac arrest of the tiny, helpless child.Hospital investigators blamed the error on a pharmacy employee who entered the wrong dosage of sodium chloride into a machine used to mix solutions for IV use. Evidently, no one at the hospital caught the error until it was too late. The hospital subsequently claimed, through a spokesman, that it has instituted enhanced safety measures to try to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
The parents, while still understandably mourning the senseless loss of their only child due to negligence, expressed a measure of relief that the hospital had a least acknowledged the enormity of its fatal mistake. They expressed their fervent hope that no other parents in the future would have to experience a similar loss from a medication error at the hospital.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, "Couple whose baby died from wrong IV dose gets $8.25 million," Dan Rozek, April 5, 2012
]]>Sleep apnea has been highlighted as a major cause of fatigue-related trucking accidents because the condition causes drowsiness during the daytime as well as slowed reaction time and inattentiveness.
In fact, according to a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, a driver with sleep apnea is 242 percent more likely to be involved in a crash compared to a driver who does not suffer from the condition.
]]> In effort to reduce the number of trucking accidents caused by truck drivers who suffer from sleep apnea, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has proposed stricter standards for sleep apnea tests among truckers.The proposal incorporates the advice supplied by two advisory panels, one made up of members of the medical community and the other made up of safety advocates from the trucking industry. Currently, the proposal is considered "guidance," but it could soon be made into an official rule.
One issue the panels agreed upon is that the FMCSA should evaluate all truckers beyond a certain body mass index for sleep apnea. This is because sleep apnea is a condition that is much more common in overweight people. Body mass index refers to the measurement of a person's body fat based on his or her height and weight.
Sleep apnea results in a person having periods of shallow breathing or a pause in breathing while sleeping. This disturbance in sleep at night then leads to drowsiness during the day, which is very dangerous when paired with tractor trailers.
Source: Truckinginfo, "FMCSA Proposes Guidance for Sleep Apnea," Oliver B. Patton, April 20, 2012
]]>Stitches and a crushed finger were the outcome of the two accidents. The injuries were said to have occurred when the grab bars on the seats were lifted up to facilitate the children's removal from the seat and the hinge mechanism of the bars caught and trapped the children's fingertips. The bike seat involved was the Topeak Babyseat II, which is marketed by Todson.
]]> Such design defects in children's products, with the potential to cause gruesome injuries, are relatively common. Similar problems have been found in the past in various makes and models of infant chairs to clip onto tabletops, as well as strollers.This led to voluntary recalls of literally millions of folding chairs intended for children's use in 2005 after a number of children lost fingers when the seats collapsed without warning. Sadly, fingers had been stuck in the slots or hinges of the furniture at the time.
Similarly, in the last three years, four different companies have agreed to recalls of infant strollers after reports surfaced of the products posing a risk of amputation of children's fingers. No less than 49 reports of children losing fingers were received, prompting both the recalls and a redesign of stroller hinges.
Of course, anytime a tragic accident like this occurs as the result of a dangerous product, the manufacturer could be sued in a personal injury lawsuit for damages. For this reason, both manufacturers and parents alike have an interest in making sure baby products are safe.
Source: Washington Post, "Baby bicycle seats get recalled after 2 children suffer injuries to their fingers," Dina ElBoghdady, April 6, 2012
]]>Insiders who asked for anonymity told reporters that Bayer agreed to pay an average of about $220,000 per claim in cases alleging that Bayer failed to warn consumers that the contraceptives Yasmin and Yaz could cause blood clots, potentially leading to fatal heart attacks and strokes in women.
]]> In February, Bayer officials admitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the company had already settled 70 cases over the Yasmin line of contraceptives and said that "Bayer will continue to consider the option of settling individual lawsuits in the U.S. on a case-by-case basis."So far, only one case has made it all the way to trial, but it was postponed on Jan. 9 so that a mediator could try to work out a settlement between the parties. According to a product liability professor, Bayer has good reason for attempting to settle all of the cases out of court.
"As a German company, Bayer probably would like to avoid the risks and costs of litigation in U.S. courts. Mediation tends to be a less-expensive way to deal with these kinds of cases," he explained. But this also means that the public may never know the details of the cases as confidentiality restrictions often apply in out-of-court settlements.
On April 10, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered Bayer and other contraceptive makers to improve the warning labels on their products to better explain the risks of blood clots. This was after studies suggested that contraceptives like Yasmin containing the hormone drospirenone may carry three times the risk of causing blood clots.
Source: Business Week, "Bayer Said to Pay $110 Million in Yaz Birth-Control Cases," Jeff Freeley, April 13, 2012
]]>The woman underwent the surgery in March 2010. She sensed something had gone wrong when she smelled a burning odor. Her mother, who was sitting by her side for support, noticed that smoke was coming from the woman's belly, despite physicians and nurses telling the pair that nothing was amiss.
]]> Eventually, the obstetrician who was performing the surgery noticed that the woman's skin was on fire, and he quickly patted out the flame with his hand.The woman, whose view was blocked by a surgical curtain, was told that a small fire had occurred, but physicians told her not to worry about anything. She wasn't sure where the fire had occurred, and it wasn't until later that the woman was told that she had been on fire.
During the recovery process, the woman discovered that she had sustained a third-degree burn on her abdomen. The injury was about 7-inches long and 5-inches wide. A plastic surgeon who consulted on the case said the burn looked similar to injuries sustained by napalm victims.
The 42-year-old woman is suing the hospital and staff because she said they didn't follow proper precautions while using the antiseptic liquid. Manufacturer recommendations should have prevented the doctors from using specific equipment during the surgery, she contends.
Staff members say they were not trained about the potential hazards associated with the substance, and most of them stated during a deposition that they were unaware that the material could catch fire. The hospital said it has since instituted precautions to prevent similar injuries in the future.
Source: Syracuse.com, "Woman's abdomen catches fire during C-section, as surgical tool ignites antiseptic," John O'Brien, April 1, 2012
]]>Following this horrible medical mistake, the boy's parents filed a wrongful death claim against the hospital, and the parties recently reached a settlement of $8.25 million. An attorney for the couple said that the settlement "recognized in some way the value of [the boy's] life;" however, his parents will "always feel the pain of his very avoidable death."
]]> According to reports, the tragic mistake happened on Oct. 15, 2012, when the baby boy was just 1-pound, 8-ounces. The attorney for the parents said that even though the baby was very premature, his health was improving until he was given a dose of sodium chloride about 60 times the ordered amount.Sadly, the infant went into cardiac arrest and could not be revived. The hospital immediately investigated the incident and found a miscalculation to be responsible for the death. The hospital said that it implemented a policy change to prevent a tragic error from happening like this in the future.
Every day, parents are forced to trust doctors, nurses and other hospital staff members with their precious infant children. And all too often, this trust is shattered by medical negligence. Pursuing wrongful death claims against those responsible is one way to help prevent these heartbreaking mistakes from happening again.
Source: Fox Chicago, "Baby's Death Yields Record Settlement of $8.25 Million," April 5, 2012
]]>The young mother said the scene was traumatic with blood everywhere, and when she looked down, she saw that the baby's finger had been snipped off. The mother is now suing the hospital and the nurse for medical negligence.
]]> The mother said the nurse ran out of the room screaming after the incident. Doctors came into the room to try to save the severed pinky finger, which had fallen to the floor when the nurse cut it off, but it was too late. The mother's attorney said that the nerves were too delicate and the veins were too small.The mother is seeking damages in excess of $15,000, according to court papers. She alleged in her complaint that the hospital failed to properly supervise and train its staff, and that the nurse failed to follow safety protocol when she tried to remove the tube with a scissors.
The attorney said that his client is moving forward with the lawsuit because the hospital did not respond to settlement requests. He also stated that the mother is suing in effort to make sure that this type of incident doesn't happen to other babies in the future.
In a statement, the hospital stated that the nurse was experienced, and that the nurse was removing bandages around an intravenous tube near the tip of the baby's finger when the "unfortunate accident" occurred. The hospital stated that the nurse took a few days off from work, but is still employed at the hospital.
Source: Orlando Sentinel, "Polk mom's lawsuit: Nurse cut off baby's pinky," Ray Reyes, March 27, 2012
]]>In effort to help prevent truck accidents caused by truck drivers who are speeding, technology has been designed to limit the top speed of commercial trucks. Ultimately, a speed limiter can be installed on semi-trucks to prevent the truck from exceeding a certain limit.
]]> Newly released research from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found obvious safety benefits to the speed-limiting technology. A study team concluded that "multiple analyses indicated a profound safety benefit for trucks equipped with an active [speed limiter]."Researchers conducted data from 20 carriers during the years 2007, 2008 and 2009, and found the overall crash rate for trucks without a speed limiter to be higher than the crash rate for trucks equipped with the speed-limiting devices. In fact, trucks without the devices experienced 16.4 crashes per 100 trucks per year, while trucks equipped with the devices saw 11 crashes per 100 trucks per year.
The study concluded that any drawbacks to using speed limiters were outweighed by the safety benefits they provided. The president of the American Transportation Research Institute, which was part of the study, said that he hopes the results help persuade regulatory agencies to require speed limiters in many commercial trucks.
What do you think? Are speed regulators a good idea in semi-trucks?
Source: TruckingInfo.com, "New Study Finds Safety Benefits of Limiting Truck Speeds," March 29, 2012
]]>At a recent presentation, the mom and advocate provided a lot of advice on how patients can protect themselves from medical malpractice. Here are some of the tips she provided, continued from the last post:
]]> 1. Be prepared before you go in. The Mothers Against Medical Error founder said that many people are not fully prepared before going in for surgery. She said to make sure to set up a time beforehand to talk with your surgeon privately about the procedure, including the potential risks, the error rate and if there are any alternatives.2. Have someone in your corner. The advocate said to make sure to have a friend or relative stay at the hospital with you to help look out for your needs. After surgery, you may not feel the best, so it's important to have someone there who can watch over your condition and care.
3. Keep a journal. The advocate said that one of the best things to do is to keep a journal outlining the procedures you go through, the medication you're given and anything else relevant to your condition or care. Before the hospital stay, write down important names and phone numbers in case of an emergency.
4. Keep an eye on your medical records. Believe it or not, doctors and nurses don't always read each other's notes, the advocate said, so you may need to bridge information between them. It is also a good idea to monitor potential problems and disagreements between staff members.
5. Don't be afraid to ask for a superior. Many times, on weekends especially, you may be left in the care of residents, or doctors in training. If you feel something is amiss, you have the right to ask for a veteran doctor to be called in.
Source: The CT Mirror, "A patient survival guide, from a mother who learned too late," Arielle Levin Becker, March 8, 2012
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