A middle-aged woman went to the emergency department complaining of abdominal pains. After testing and evaluation indicated intestinal inflammation and a possible abdominal cyst along with diverticular disease, the hospital began the patient on a course of antibiotic therapy.
A man underwent surgery following a heart attack. During the procedure, the seal on the oxygen tube inserted in the patient's throat broke, causing the oxygen to catch on fire.
As much as risk managers may worry about the risk of patient suicide, they have to trust that the frontline clinicians are sufficiently skilled and dedicated to spotting patients at risk.
Risk managers who have been pushing for more full disclosure of adverse events now have more backing and can argue that informing patients is a significant step closer to being considered the standard of care.
