5 Low Back Pain Diagnoses You Don’t Want to Miss
June 12, 2016
Only the common cold prompts more people to see a practitioner than acute low back pain. Most people will suffer with low back pain at least once in their lives, and it is estimated that 2% to 3% of all ED visits are for acute non-traumatic back pain. With costs exceeding $90 billion per year,…Read More
Violence in Healthcare Part 1: Risk Factors & Warning Signs
June 6, 2016
Pinched, pushed, punched, or even stabbed, shot or killed. Nearly every healthcare worker has been a victim or knows a coworker who has been a victim of workplace violence. Workplace violence represents a serious health and safety concern for all employees, but healthcare workers in particular face significant risk. Health and social service industries account for…Read More
Principles of Informed Consent in Healthcare
May 31, 2016
Many practitioners view the process of informed consent in healthcare to be a nuisance and a hindrance. It is often simply one more hoop to jump through so that the patient can get the care he or she needs. This is not true. If the provider was negligent in providing the service and a bad…Read More
Confessions of an Antibiotic Abuser
May 23, 2016
The discoverer of penicillin, Sir Alexander Fleming, warned many decades ago that the “public will demand [the drug and]…then will begin an era…of abuses.” His prophecy has been realized, and I readily confess that I am guilty. During my 37 years in family practice and emergency medicine, I admit that I prescribed antibiotics for viral…Read More
Case: Atypical Presentation of Acute Ischemic Heart Disease in Women
May 13, 2016
A 35-year-old female presents at 0321 by ambulance with a complaint of chest pain. The records show EMS arriving at her house and finding the patient on the couch. Download Audio Case Review Download as PDF EMT Notes Patient appears to be anxious and hyperventilating. Encouraged patient to slow breathing down. VS obtained: Pulse 120;…Read More
Malpractice Claims or Medical Errors: Which One is the Real Target?
April 4, 2016
Is there a reliable way to predict which physician will be sued for malpractice? Researchers, insurers and healthcare professionals have wrestled with this question for decades. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine and a follow-up response by the Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA) provide more data points, but admittedly do…Read More
Case of Diagnostic Error
March 28, 2016
A 78-year-old man, Mr. S, came to the emergency department with the chief complaint of abdominal pain. He was an active person, residing in the independent living section of a retirement complex. He described the pain as an ache in the mid and lower abdomen that had been present for several days. The pain did not radiate….Read More
Creating a Patient Safety Culture
March 14, 2016
Current strides in improving patient safety in hospitals and medical facilities provide clear evidence that the healthcare industry has the capacity for meaningful change. However, providers continue to face significant obstacles; perhaps the biggest obstacle of all revolves around developing and expanding a vigorous “safety culture.” Indeed, much of the focus has been on technology…Read More
An Overview of Pediatric Malpractice
March 7, 2016
The practice of pediatrics is relatively unique from a risk management perspective. One study placed the risks associated with the practice of pediatrics relative to other specialties as 25th out of 26 specialties with regard to the risk of being sued. However, although the risk of being sued is relatively low, another study found that…Read More
Thoracic Aortic Dissection: The Great Masquerader
February 29, 2016
Not all chest pain is a heart attack. While acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may be the most common serious cause of chest pain, clinicians must keep other dangerous conditions in the differential diagnosis and eliminate the possibilities based on the patient’s history, risk stratification, physical exam and diagnostic testing. One of the most dramatic and…Read More
