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This study from the department of surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis sought to determine the effect on extubation and reintubation rates of implementing a mandatory daily spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) in every qualifying ventilated patient and reporting its results to the physicians managing that patient.
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This study reports findings from a survey of 1,082 US physicians (62% response rate) regarding their attitudes about reporting medical errors and suggestions for ways to prevent common errors.
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Regionalized health care systems exist for trauma and neonatal care and efforts are underway to institute similar systems for high-risk surgeries, three fields in which there is a positive relationship between the volume of cases handled and patient outcomes.
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This study sought to determine whether the occurrence of in-hospital cardiac arrest at night and on weekends was associated with worse outcomes as compared with arrests during day/evening shifts and on weekdays.
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In This Issue: FDA drug approval to change? Urinary incontinence in women; how metabolism of certain drugs can be predicted by genetic analysis; bowel preps may compromise renal function especially in the elderly according to a new study; FDA Actions.
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You are treating a patient that you feel would be a good candidate for 'Drug X.' Unfortunately, 'Drug X' is not indicated by the FDA for the treatment of that specific condition; and, you are unable to find prescribing information regarding the optimal dose or duration of therapy with 'Drug X' for that condition. You realize that your use of 'Drug X' in this circumstance would be considered "off-label." What legal risks, if any, might you face?
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Emergency physicians are much more likely to be sued for not administering tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to stroke patients, than for giving the drug, says a new study.
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Before giving a stroke patient tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), you must consider not only whether the patent is a candidate, but also whether the setting is appropriate, says Edward Jauch, MD, MS, assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at University of Cincinnati and a member of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Team.
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Imagine this e-mail from one of your colleagues being Exhibit A at your malpractice trial: "You misdiagnosed Jane Doe with indigestion last night and she showed up this morning on my shift with a heart attack and didn't live. Since this is your third time to miss this sort of thing, you really need to pay better attention."
