Goldsmith & Goldsmith, LLP
Many industries share an increased reliance on technology in their daily activities. From scheduling programs to digital record-keeping, health care professionals rely on computer-aided organization to stay focused on patient care and minimizing stress. But, are these steps enough to ensure proper care?
Can Electronic Health Records Prevent Harm To Patients?
Patients trust that hospitals are clean, organized and sterile. Unfortunately, there are numerous ways - even outside contracting additional illnesses - that people can become victims. Each year, the ECRI Institute's Health Devices Group identifies the top potential hazards facing those seeking care in the upcoming year.
Individuals are becoming much more accustomed to having smart systems such as Siri, Alexa and Cortana provide assistance, guidance or advice on a daily basis. As this technology increases, more healthcare providers are exploring the viability of artificial intelligence and the benefits that machine learning might ultimately have on diagnostic medicine. The reliance on any emerging technology must be tempered with careful attention to both the benefits and the dangers inherent in its use.
The use of intelligent machines to aid in diagnosing complex conditions might provide a workforce benefit - but it might also provide a dangerous shortcut that could result in a fatally incorrect diagnosis.
“I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.” Hippocrates.
This is the oath that every physician is bound to follow. Over the years, however, some members of the medical profession have been chipping away at the oath’s core by engaging in ‘defensive medicine.’
Negligently hiring a doctor or surgeon with a checkered past could result in a hospital being held liable for injuries that come to patients. Hospitals that don't consider the people they hire put their patients at risk, which is unacceptable.
When a hospital is held liable for poor hiring choices, it's called vicarious liability. Vicarious liability holds the hospital liable when a doctor or other staff member makes a mistake that harms a patient. It's held liable under the theory of "respondeat superior."
After surgery, your primary source of information on your recovery tends to be your physical therapist. They know your timelines and recovery estimates and see you a few times a week. But is that enough for you to truly know how your recovery is progressing?
Physical therapy can help many kinds of ailments, and decrease pain without the use of drugs. However, it is important that all patients take a proactive role in getting better, and to help with that here is a list of possible red flags you should watch for during your physical therapy.
Nearly everyone in the United States has at least an anecdotal understanding of the symptoms of a heart attack. Whether it was a family member, a friend, a co-worker or a classmate everyone recognizes the classic symptoms - chest pain, shortness of breath, a numbing sensation in the left arm. Unfortunately, there has been a historical disparity between how men and women experience the symptoms of a heart attack - and this has led to a shockingly common occurrence of missed or misdiagnoses.
Several times a year there are news stories highlighting a celebrity's addiction to prescription pain medication. Whether it is a sports star, a musician, an actor or another type of high-profile celebrity, these issues serve to highlight a larger problem throughout society. Pain medication abuse and addiction can have a devastating impact on an individual's life - leading to death in severe cases.
Medical professionals from doctors to nurses to pharmacists are relied upon to carefully monitor the prescription and use of pain meds. Medications like Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin can have a stronger, more addictive impact than many illegal narcotics.
Today, this year, there is little excuse for an individual to die as a result of a lung cancer not being diagnosed when proper diagnostic procedures are in place.
A recent report indicated a woman with Stage IV lung cancer was cured when she was treated with immunotherapy - she had reached a five year survival. Wonderful news for her but...
Any lawyer can win damages in egregious cases such as operating on the wrong body part. Many firms have the resources to hire experts. But few lawyers truly understand the medical science of medical malpractice litigation. As a result they may fail to recognize a viable case, unwisely pursue a weak case, or stumble in cross-examination of those medical experts.
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