ED Legal Letter – March 1, 2012
March 1, 2012
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Drug Misadventures: Medical-Legal Cases and Caveats for the Emergency Physician
In the emergency department (ED), a central component of a physician's daily care and job performance is to administer or prescribe drugs. -
False "Expert" Statements Shouldn't Go Unchallenged
"Everyone knows that a patient with a heart rate higher than 90 should be admitted to the hospital." -
Experts on Either Side May Mislead Jury
Ken Zafren, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FAWM, EMS medical director for the state of Alaska and clinical associate professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford (CA) University Medical Center, says that while much attention has been paid to the problem of plaintiff experts making false statements about ED care, he's also experienced defense experts making false statements. -
Sued EP May Wait to Learn What Opposing Experts Say
At what point after a lawsuit alleging ED malpractice is filed will a sued EP learn what the opposing experts say about the case? This depends on the legal strategy being used by the plaintiff's attorneys and state laws, says Jonnathan Busko, MD, an EP at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and medical director of Maine EMS Region IV. -
Heart Attack Delays Still High-risk for ED
Delays for treatment for heart attack patients will continue to be a high-risk area for EDs legally, predicts Robert L. Norton, MD, a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.