Emergency Medicine - Adult and Pediatric
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Malpractice Risks During COVID-19: ‘Really Enormous’ for ED Providers
Emergency department (ED) providers, overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and at risk for contracting the virus, also face potential legal exposure. Many emergency physicians (EPs), ED nurses, and hospitals are stretching beyond a breaking point. What it all means for ED malpractice claims remains to be seen.
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Pain Management in the Emergency Department: Opioids and Alternative Pain Management Therapies
Opioid therapy can be an effective form of pain management in the ED for acute painful conditions. The risk of addiction and abuse should be considered in every case. Alternatives to opioid therapy include systemic agents, such as acetaminophen, NSAIDs, lidocaine, alpha agonists, anticonvulsants, ketamine, corticosteroids, and local and regional anesthesia.
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Trauma in Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Overview
The authors provide a concise, comprehensive overview of the unique anatomic and physiologic features of pregnancy, as well as modifications and considerations important for the management of the pregnant trauma patient.
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Vaping-Induced Lung Injury
In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted the association of vaping and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Although the number of new cases has decreased, new cases are still appearing.
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Diabetes in Pediatric ED Patients
Emergency medicine providers commonly will encounter children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, the incidence of both is increasing, and the acute care provider must be able to recognize the subtle and dramatic presentations of both diseases. Early recognition and management of both the disease and its complications — diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state, and cerebral edema — are critical to ensure an optimal outcome.
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Plaintiff Expert Worked in the ED, But Only During Residency Rotation
Plaintiff attorneys frequently bring in experts with specific knowledge from whatever specialty is relevant to the condition that was missed or managed inappropriately. When an emergency physician saw a patient, he or she had to take the patient as a whole and consider every possible diagnosis. Unlike other specialties, emergency physicians do not get to pick and choose the kind of patients or complications they see.
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‘Copy and Paste’ Can Legally Compromise Entire ED Record
When information is copied and pasted into the ED chart, it can improve patient care because all providers are aware of the patient’s history — or it can legally compromise the entire medical record.
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Solid Documentation Refutes Premature Discharge Allegation
After discharge from an ED, did a patient experience a bad outcome serious enough to result in a malpractice lawsuit? The plaintiff attorney is going to argue the EP should have ordered more tests, observed the patient, sought out more consults, or admitted the person.
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Malpractice Claims Information a Powerful Patient Safety Tool for ED
At the UMass Memorial Medical Center ED in Worcester, analyzing medical malpractice data has become a vital patient safety tool. Leaders study adverse event data, root cause analysis, reportable events, and malpractice claims data.
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Pooled Malpractice Data Show True Prevalence of ED Claims
A decade’s worth of malpractice claims data allowed three Phoenix-based ED groups to improve care of spinal epidural abscess patients.