ED Management – June 1, 2022
June 1, 2022
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Healthcare Leaders Discuss How to Elevate Safety Science
As if dealing with a raging pandemic was not enough punishment, frontline caregivers now worry any mistake could land them in jail. This, after a former nurse at Vanderbilt Medical Center was recently charged and convicted in connection with a medical error that led to the death of a patient.
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Medication Overrides Pose Much Higher Level of Risk
Automated dispensing cabinets allow ED medications to be stored and issued electronically at the point of care, leading to a reduction in time from prescribing to medication administration, which is particularly advantageous in the ED setting.
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Not If, But When: Preparing a Proper Defense After Medication Mistakes
ED nurses should not hesitate to contact a defense attorney if a patient is harmed by a medication error. The interest of the hospital often is different from the healthcare provider. Do not assume the hospital will provide a defense for taking a shortcut. More likely, administrators will testify protocols were put into place, and place blame on the ED nurse for taking the shortcut.
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New National Agency Could Provide More Accountability When Medical Errors Occur
Patient advocates imagine a group like the National Transportation Safety Board, but for healthcare — an entity that provides another layer of accountability when medical errors occur.
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EMTALA Misconceptions for ED Patients in Observation Status
Once an ED patient is in observation status, providers might assume their EMTALA obligations are over. This is not the case. Observation is an outpatient status, even if exactly the same care is provided as inpatient status. As such, observation is merely an extension of ED care.
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Reduce Risks for Patients in Observation Unit
Observation units provide additional time to stabilize, treat, and develop rapport with an ED patient with a potentially serious condition. On the other hand, if observation units are used as a way to avoid admission, EDs may be exposed to additional legal risks.
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Who Is Legally Responsible for Patients in ED Waiting Room?
Addressing misconceptions about EMTALA and liability exposure for patients in ED waiting rooms.
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An ED-Friendly Screening Tool to Identify Potentially Violent Patients
Considering violence is a continuing concern in the emergency setting, there is high interest in new mechanisms that can identify potentially violent patients at the front end of their care encounters. This way, safeguards or preventive measures can be activated to keep providers and other patients safe. However, any such tool needs to be brief and easily integrated into the workflow of a busy ED.
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When ED Providers Overlook Information Conveyed by EMS
The emergency physician and ED nurse should take the report together when EMS arrives. Listen to what EMS found at the scene, what they did in terms of treatment, and what the response to that treatment was. Together, decide on the next steps.
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EP Could Be Deposed if Patient Was Misdiagnosed at Another ED
Beware making well-meaning statements or criticizing other clinicians in front of patients.
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Decision Support Tool Boosts Outcomes for ED Patients with Pneumonia
The authors of a new study demonstrated that when deployed in the EDs of community hospitals, an electronic decision support tool for pneumonia can improve treatment while dramatically reducing mortality and inpatient utilization.