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Think of the outbreak of a novel H1N1 virus this spring as a colossal pandemic preparedness drill - either for a future virus or for a stronger resurgence of the strain later this year. So, how did hospitals do in their mission to protect health care workers, including providing appropriate protective equipment, training, and communication?
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If you want your employees to report to work during a pandemic, make sure you have plenty of antiviral medications. Let them know how you'll help them manage the unique work-life balance issues of an emergency, such as child care when schools are closed. And underscore how important they are to the organization - even if their duties are clerical or custodial.
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As the Food and Drug Administration approves new drugs for new uses, the list of potential occupational hazards grows.
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A new political climate and a growing roster of state laws have given new life to efforts to mandate safe patient handling in the nation's health care system.
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When an ED physician was sued for allegedly missing signs and symptoms of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, the emergency medical record (EMR) documentation that was brought into evidence didn't help matters.
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A rural hospital contacts an air medical service (AMS) provider to transfer by helicopter a patient with blunt trauma. The distance between the sending and receiving facility is 75 miles. The "Life Flight" helicopter crew receives the request at 00:00, and departs their base at 00:20. They abort the flight at 00:40 hours, 10 miles from the sending facility, because the cloud ceiling drops to 700 feet, 300 feet below the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) minimum for night flight by helicopters. The sending facility then calls another AMS provider and requests that the patient be transported to the same receiving facility.
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The case of Moses v. Providence Hospital and Medical Centers, Inc. could be the tipping point that finally puts to rest the oft-repeated mantra of the civil courts that "EMTALA is not a federal malpractice law."
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In a testicular torsion case, consistent and clear documentation by both ED nurses and physicians of the complaint, the onset of the problem and the examination of the patient placed the patient outside the timeframe where any medical intervention would have lead to a different result.
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