Healthcare Risk Management articles from February 2003

Healthcare Risk Management archives from February 2003

Liability protection given for smallpox vaccinations, but many worries remain; lawsuits seem unlikely, but some still left uneasy about plan.
February 1, 2003... Questions still remain about the plan to vaccinate some health care workers against smallpox as health care leaders debate the safety of the vaccine, how it will worsen the shortage of personnel, and its potential liability concerns. Some of...

Smallpox vaccination handbook available now.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Call today for your copy of Hospital Handbook on Smallpox Vaccination, a facilitywide resource containing all the information you need about smallpox vaccination in most health care facilities and environments. Learn about possible side effects...

Visit HRM, ED Legal Letter site.
February 1, 2003... We now offer free on-line access to www.hrm newsletter.com for Hospital Risk Management subscribers. The site features current and back issues of HRM and ED Legal Letter, also from American Health Consultants. Included on the site and in...

New rules: you have mail, and trouble is enclosed.(e-mail guidelines)
February 1, 2003... Recently released guidelines on how to safely use e-mail to communicate with patients will become the standard of care in short order, says one expert. That means health providers must comply with the recommendations quickly or risk increased...

Fee-based consultations carry special concerns.
February 1, 2003... Free-based on-line consultations come with additional risks, according to the eRisk Working Group on Healthcare, a consortium of professional liability carriers, medical societies and state board representatives. These are defined as clinical...

Try to avoid sensitive material in your e-mail.
February 1, 2003... The SCPIE Companies, an insurer in Los Angeles, recently offered its own advice on reducing the risk of e-mail communication in health care. In addition to endorsing the eRisk guidelines, SCPIE says health care providers must be careful about...

Spot the risky surgeon and predict who might get sued.
February 1, 2003... Certain characteristics may help you spot which surgeons are most likely to have malpractice suits filed against them, allowing you to focus your risk management education on those most in need of help, according to a physician who has studied...

Medication bar codes can work but problems persist.
February 1, 2003... Researchers have found that a new computer system that uses bar codes to safeguard patients' medications can work successfully, but not without creating new, serious problems for nurses charged with patient care. Emily Patterson, a...

Single-use devices have their fair share of doubters.
February 1, 2003... The Center for Patient Advocacy recently released a survey of surgeons, operating room nurses, and consumers, which suggests that health care professionals have serious concerns about the reuse of single-use medical devices and their impact on...

CE questions.
February 1, 2003... Please review the text, answer the following questions, check your answers against the key below, and then review the materials again regarding any questions answered incorrectly. To receive credit for this activity, you must return the...

Infant's undiagnosed tuberculosis leads to brain damage: $3 million settlement.
February 1, 2003... News: After several visits to its family physician, an 11-month-old child was taken to a hospital emergency department (ED). The child was then transferred to a children's hospital, where a test for tuberculosis (TB) was positive. While the TB...

Scalding sitz bath leads to severe burns, $1.5M.
February 1, 2003... News: A nursing home patient developed a cyst on her labia, and her treating gynecologist ordered a sitz bath to relieve the condition. However, the nurses administering the bath thought they were to treat the affected area with steam and the...