Healthcare Risk Management articles from March 2005

Healthcare Risk Management archives from March 2005

Study: infighting among doctors and nurses is frequent and harms patients; disruptive behavior directly threatens patient safety; what you can do.
March 1, 2005... Arguments, nasty comments, and demeaning behavior--what health care professional can't tell stories of how some co-worker or colleague made life miserable for people just trying to do their jobs? Disruptive behavior is all too common in health...

Risk managers must act on disruptive behavior.
March 1, 2005... Risk managers must act on disruptive behavior, says Alan H. Rosenstein, MD, vice president and medical director at VHA in Irving, TX. Do not dismiss disruptive behavior as merely an unfortunate fact in any work environment because in health...

Confidential reports reveal impact on patient safety.
March 1, 2005... Personal conflicts are inevitable among coworkers. So why should a risk manager get involved? Consider the following examples of how those conflicts directly affected patient safety. These are real responses to a confidential survey (1): *...

Phone etiquette can help prevent disruptive behavior.
March 1, 2005... Many of the confidential comments from the VHA study concerning disruptive behavior concerned nurses who were afraid to call physicians at home because they knew the doctor would be angry. But that's not always because the doctor is a jerk,...

Open talk helps diabetes clinic torn by staff conflict.
March 1, 2005... As daily workplace demands rise, overtaxed leaders often target other decision makers--the CEO, a head nurse, technician, or doctor--as the source, says psychologist Anna Maravelas, a conflict resolution consultant and president of...

Detailed documents needed to avoid malpractice suits.
March 1, 2005... Detail always is good. More detail always is better. That's the rule of thumb when it comes to documentation, according to Cecilie Loidolt, JD, a medical malpractice defense attorney with Meagher & Geer in Minneapolis. The top...

Minnesota first to report errors under federal rule.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Twenty patients died in Minnesota hospitals over months from medical errors or oversights, according to a new report released recently by the state health department. Minnesota is the first state to report its medical errors mistakes under...

Learning packets help staff reduce falls, improve safety.
March 1, 2005... Educating your staff is an ongoing challenge, but one hospital has found that patient safety packets with practical, goal-oriented information can be especially effective in helping reduce falls and other hazards. JCAHO recently awarded...

No EMTALA risk if patient elopes after screening.(Reader Question)(Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1985)
March 1, 2005... Question: What is our obligation under EMTALA when a patient leaves the emergency department after screening but before treatment is complete? We know that we can get in trouble when a patient leaves before being assessed and treated, but what...

Prepare your hospital for a strange flu season; it's not over yet!(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... This year is a wild card, and anything could still happen. First, we had a dangerous shortage of influenza vaccine, followed by many high-risk people who couldn't get or decided to forgo immunization. Fortunately, this has been a mild flu...

CE questions.(continuing education, nursing)
March 1, 2005... Nurses participate in this continuing education program by reading the issue, using the provided references for further research, and studying the questions at the end of the issue. Participants should select what they believe to be the correct...

Minister's vocal cord damaged by feeding tube--$100,000 Nevada verdict.
March 1, 2005... News: A feeding tube was improperly inserted into a minister who was recovering from surgery. This lead to an extended hospitalization and post discharge vocal cord and lung problems. At trial, he was awarded $70,000, and his wife $30,000, a...

Negligent pre-op leads to $2.5 million settlement.
March 1, 2005... News: A man suffering from a blockage in the main artery of his leg underwent femoral bypass surgery at a local hospital. Although he suffered from a disease causing a reduction in his normal blood flow, medical staff failed to determine...