Pennsylvania Law Expands Newborn Screening for Birth Defects
"Hannah's Law," which goes into effect in Pennsylvania before year's end, requires Pennsylvania hospitals to test newborns for certain genetic disorders.
Blog
Cervical Cerclage – Cervical Incompetence
What happens when a cervix shortens or opens too early during pregnancy?
Case example: Failure to Monitor a Patient’s Changing Condition
Hospital’s inaction as a patient’s condition deteriorates overnight in the ER results in her death.
Newborn Screening – Methods, procedures, and timing
What types of medical screening is done for a newborn, and what is the law in terms of testing and timing?
Electronic medical records and the emergency room
When implemented successfully, a high-quality ED medical record should help better capture the process of evaluation, management, medical decision-making, and disposition of a patient.
Pregnant women with HIV – the use of Retrovir to prevent transmission to your baby
Zidovudine is a prescription anti-HIV medicine commonly sold under the brand name “Retrovir,” and has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of HIV and prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
Case example: Failure to Diagnose Symptoms in the ER
A man with severe headaches who dies from a ruptured aneurysm one month later could have been saved.
Induction of Labor
Induction of labor may be recommended when certain criteria are met (Bishop’s score) and when the risks and benefits of an imminent delivery are measured against the risks of continuing pregnancy.
Discharge instructions
What type of instructions or information should patients insist on having upon emergency room discharge?
Case example: Failure of ER Staff to Order Appropriate Tests
A jury finds that ER doctors missed symptoms and failed to order a needed chest x-ray
Post-Term Pregnancy
All interventions to artificially control the timing of delivery (induction of labor, caesarean section) are associated with risk, albeit small, of certain complications.
Clinical Observation
If your treatment in the ER is completed and you would benefit from a few more hours of observation, do you have to be admitted as an inpatient?
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes occurs when the mother has high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. This happens in more than 15% of pregnancies in the U.S., and can happen even in women who have never had diabetes before.
Case example: Failure to Keep a Patient for Observation
Was a man’s permanent brain damage preventable with good care?
Triage Acuity
How are triage patients categorized and what does that mean?