Patients with an altered mental state who leave facilities are subject to injury and sometimes death. Two recent cases in Illinois demonstrate the danger when a facility loses track of patients or patients simply leave the facility without notice. “Elopement” is the term used to describe a patient who leaves a healthcare or nursing facility … Continued

Intubation is a common procedure used with general anesthesia. New guidelines aim to reduce the incidence of esophageal intubation, which occurs when the esophagus is mistaken for the trachea during intubation. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced the term “intubation” into everyday conversation but many people do not know how the procedure works. If you have undergone … Continued

A new initiative is intended to boost research into cancer-related care delivered by telehealth to patients and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed telehealth into the public spotlight for patients as a helpful mode for patients to receive care without exposure to the virus.  Telehealth allows practitioners to differentiate between patients who can be seen … Continued

New research suggests a dramatic jump in physician burnout that is likely to impact delivery of quality healthcare throughout the US. It will come as no surprise to anyone that the healthcare system was staggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, burnout is common among healthcare providers in the US and the years of the pandemic … Continued

In September, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released an alert regarding the risk of cyber-attack on outdated medical devices. While it may sound like a science fiction scenario, the threat to the healthcare industry discussed by the FBI is frighteningly real. In a succinct industry notification, the bureau outlined a broad swath of risks … Continued

Pharma companies continue to settle lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic in this country. Despite the despicable behavior of the Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, the Sacklers were allowed to settle many outstanding state and agency lawsuits against them with a $6 billion dollar deal in March of this year. The settlement allows the … Continued

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announce a recall of a medical device widely used during life-saving procedures. Medical technology company Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) is a global enterprise selling instruments, medical devices and treatment systems. The FDA recently issued a Class 1 recall on BD Intraosseous Needle Set Kits, Manual Driver … Continued

A recent large study suggests anesthesiologists who split their time over multiple operating suites are linked to higher incidence of patient complications and death. “Overlapping” is the term used when an anesthesiologist induces the next surgical patient in an operating room (OR) while a previous patient is still in surgery. Overlapping is useful when qualified … Continued

To reduce the number of adverse drug events suffered by patients, a new study suggests an in-person meeting between hospital pharmacists and prescribing residents is helpful. Medication errors are the most common medical error. A medication error is any “preventable harm event” that occurs along the medication supply chain from manufacture to patient administration. Because … Continued