Connecticut Medical Malpractice and the Physician Profile Law
Fortunately in Connecticut, we have a law that mandates all physicians provide the following information to the Department of Public Health concerning any in or out of state medical malpractice judgement, settlement or arbitration award in the last 10 years, including: Date judgement, settlement, or arbitration was resolved; Amount paid; Practice speciality related to the … Keep reading…
Drug Injuries: Know Your Prescription Before You Get It Filled
It’s no secret that doctors could use a penmanship lesson. When prescriptions are written it can sometimes be difficult for not only the patient to decipher, but pharmacists as well. If a doctor writes you or your loved one a prescription and the pharmacist fills this prescription incorrectly, by either dispensing the wrong medication completely … Keep reading…
How To Avoid Potentially Damaging Miscommunication Between Your Physician and Nurse
As news of an Ebola case took hold here in the United States, it became clear that the first patient to be identified as having positive symptoms of the disease could have been treated in a much more timely manner. First the missed diagnoses was blamed on the electronic health records that were being kept … Keep reading…
Reduce Your Risk of Contracting A Hospital Acquired Infection
Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) account for nearly 71,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the Center for Disease Control. Many of these infections are preventable through simple recommended procedures like washing hands which has proven to drastically reduce infection rates. How can you protect yourself from acquiring one of these infections? Do … Keep reading…
3 Ways Hospital Worker Fatigue Can Cause Medical Malpractice
Were you or your loved one injured after a stay in a hospital? It may be medical malpractice due to hospital worker fatigue. A recent article cites that worker fatigue can cause avoidable injuries and sometimes death. Examples of injuries that can be caused by worker fatigue are (but not limited to): Medication errors – dispensing … Keep reading…
Opioid Overdose: Is it Medical Malpractice?
The Connecticut Department of Public Health recently launched a campaign to prevent opioid overdose across the state. Drugs in the opioid family include illegal forms, like heroin, and legal forms like codeine, methadone, oxycodone (Percocet, Oxycontin, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, Norco), fentanyl, hydromorphone, and buprenorphine. The legal form of opioid drugs are only available through … Keep reading…
Getting an IV or Feeding Tube? Read This First
If you are being admitted to a hospital or medical care facility and are going to be getting a feeding tube, catheter, or IV, be sure to ask your doctor if the tubing and facility are compliant with the Sentinel Alert Standards issued by the Joint Commission in August 2014. Because of an increase in … Keep reading…