New research looks at how the dramatic jump in telemedicine due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in communication, patient care, and the potential for medical error. Telehealth is here to stay.  While the use of remote care was steadily growing prior to the pandemic, sudden urgency to socially distance, reduce infection rates, … Continued

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal morbidity in the US and the globe.  When unrecognized by providers, PPH can quickly cause disability or death. Approximately 100,000, or three percent, of new mothers experience PPH in the US each year. Recent research suggests the incidence of PPH is rising.  During labor and delivery, … Continued

Understanding bias could help healthcare providers reduce medical mistakes made during the diagnostic process. Diagnostic errors account for a large portion of medical errors.  The evaluative process is used by physicians and Advanced Practice Providers across the medical industry.  The ability—through skill, education, and training—to provide an accurate diagnosis is a fundamental reason people seek … Continued

Medical mistakes are common.  While most medical errors are never noticed, some mistakes cause injury, prolonged treatment, or death.  After a serious medical error, most institutions initiate a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to explore the event. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Network (PSNet), a root cause analysis is … Continued

When surgical intervention is necessary, most healthcare consumers hope for the best. Recent studies offer insight into neurosurgery and malpractice claims made against the physicians who practice it. Neurosurgery is focused on the nervous system, primarily the brain and the spinal cord. As the brain is the seat of identity and reasoning, and the spinal … Continued

A new study identifies risk factors associated with the pregnancy-related condition, preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that develops usually around the 20th week, or about half-way, through pregnancy.  The condition is a type of blood pressure disorder that occurs during pregnancy, with symptoms that include protein in the urine, swelling (edema), blurry vision, shortness … Continued

When lab, imaging, or other test results are not followed up, the outcome can be tragic. According to The Joint Commission, diagnostic error impacts one in every 20 adult patients in outpatient settings and may be the most frequent medical error plaguing the practice of medicine in this country.  Johns Hopkins Medicine defines diagnostic error … Continued

Hospital-acquired pneumonia is a common and often deadly healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Hospitals are a critical aspect of community and national infrastructure.  Providing care to the ill and injured, hospitals are of vital importance throughout our lives.  But what happens when a hospital stay, by itself, proves deadly or injurious? By nature, healthcare facilities are home … Continued

Sepsis is an often-dangerous immune response that can lead to severe outcomes or death.  Paired with pregnancy, it can endanger mom and baby. Sometimes called blood poisoning, sepsis is not a disease but an attack by the human immune system upon itself.  The condition can be triggered by any type of infection and is sometimes … Continued

Media reports reveal a disturbing practice at nursing facilities who use “chemical straitjackets” to maintain patients who may have no need for the powerful medications given to them. A recent investigation by The New York Times suggests a startling number of nursing facilities across the country are using questionable diagnosis of psychotic disorders in order … Continued