Video
Physician Burden Like No Other Profession
Dec 05, 2012
Tessa Hadlock, MD discusses a physician’s unique burden of holding an individual’s life in your hands. A slip of the knife or a missed diagnosis is a possibility that cannot be far from a clinician’s thoughts when working with patients.
1 minute 15 seconds
Episodes
Recent Episodes from the MedMal Insider Series
A Pending Test at Discharge and a Return with Sepsis
Podcast
A 68-year-old male was admitted to the hospital after falling on ice and feeling short of breath. Two days after discharge, the patient arrived by ambulance at another hospital in septic shock. The patient filed a claim against the hospital, alleging that the failure to communicate a critical lab result required readmission and several weeks of follow-up treatment.
Med Error Leads to Change in L&D Policy
Podcast
A 30-year-old woman experiencing her first pregnancy, presented to the Labor and Delivery unit. She was given the wrong drug and required an emergent C-section. The "five rights" of medication administration focuses on individual factors and not necessarily on system flaws. Many organizations are also promoting just culture, which encourages reporting near-misses and patient safety events, and focuses on psychological safety and promoting a non-punitive reporting culture.
Incidental Lung Nodule Overlooked, No Follow-up, Fatal Cancer Advances
Podcast
A patient was imaged for abdominal pain, but the radiologist saw and reported an incidental finding of a nodule on the lower lung that was not pursued or revealed to the patient for 2 years. The cancer had metastasized, and the patient died from lung cancer 18 months later.
Overdose or Poor Documentation?
Podcast
The patient’s family alleged that improper management of the patient under anesthesia resulted in cardiorespiratory arrest, permanent brain damage, and a persistent vegetative state. While the cause of the patient’s cardiac arrest is uncertain, the CRNA failed to note which medications and doses were administered during the procedure, and the case was settled for more than $1 million.