Hawaii Injury Lawyer Blog

A recent New York Times article discusses the growing incidence of radiation injuries, focusing on accidents that occur as the result of “stray beams.” The article reveals that beginning last year, nationwide warnings advised doctors to be “extra vigilant” when using a medical device [stereotactic radiosurgery, or SRS] that delivers high-intensity pinpoint radiation to vulnerable parts of the body. These warnings were the result of significant harm that occurred to patients after being treated with this therapy across the country.

One case involved a woman who received treatment at Evanston Hospital in Illinois for pain caused by a nerve deep inside her head. As the result of the radiation error, she is unable to eat, speak or walk, and is in a near comatose state.

Another two patients were severely injured when the radiation therapy designed to channel the beam to a specific spot in the brain leaked radiation outside the cone attachment.

An investigation by the New York Times revealed that the radiation errors occurred for a variety of reasons, including operator error. Further, the radiation therapy systems made by the manufacturer Varian Medical Systems and its partner, Brainlab have been cited in numerous cases of errors and overdoses. Although thousands of patients have been treated successfully, as the devices have been retrofitted problems occurred as the result of “user error, coupled with neither the manufacturers nor the F.D.A. being able to anticipate [the] potential safety flaws.”

Continue reading " Radiation Therapy Used to Treat Brain Injuries Leads To More Harm " »

A recent article in the New York Times notes that the Institute of Medicine has created a “Committee on Patient Safety and Health Information Technology,” which is set to meet for the first time on Tuesday. The committee was formed pursuant an increased focus on converting hospitals to a paperless system in order to lessen the frequency of medical malpractice and reduce costs.

The New England Journal of Medicine has concluded that despite the increased awareness of medical errors, thousands of deadly mistakes occur in hospitals each year. Electronic record systems, often thought of as useful way to eliminate errors, are now attracting concerns due to problems with the records themselves, including design flaws and communication breakdowns that place patients in harms way.

These errors include patient’s data being saved in the wrong file and incorrect entries concerning drug allergies, blood pressure readings and other vital information. In fact, hundreds of voluntary reports were made of malfunctions in health information technology, which led to 44 injuries and 6 deaths in 2008 and 2009. As a result of these errors, the Institute of Medicine has brought together a group of health information experts to evaluate what can be done to assure the efficacy of software designed to improve patient safety at hospitals around the country.

Continue reading " Reducing Medical Malpractice – Will Electronic Patient Data Help? " »

Over 700 healthcare workers signed a pledge to use less radiation at last week’s Radiological Society of North America’s annual conference. At issue – radiation injuries. The ECRI Institute has compiled a list of what it considers the top ten health technology hazards and ranks radiation injuries as number one.

Radiation injuries are caused by inappropriate exposure to radiation and may be significant and devastating. Health care providers and physicians are trained to give appropriate doses of radiation. When they fail to comply with the standard of care, health care providers and physicians may be found guilty of medical malpractice and held liable for damages caused by a radiation injury.

According to the ECRI report, radiation therapy overdose and other dosing errors constitute a significant source of concern, noting “there’s been a rapid growth in the number of treatment systems and an increase in their complexity…And while dosing errors are relatively rare, they can have devastating health consequences.”

Number 4 on the list is “high radiation dose of CT scans.” The report notes, “while the increased risk of cancer from excessive CT-related radiation is tough to quantify, it clearly is a risk that health-care facilities must take steps to mitigate.”

Continue reading " Radiation Injury Ranks Number One As A Health Technology Hazard " »

Research reveals that victims of medical errors, though not less willing to file medical malpractice lawsuits, are more forgiving of doctors who own up to their mistakes.

An Illinois study revealed that of a random sample, about 40% of people had personally experienced a medical error or had a family member or friend who had been impacted by a medical error. Only 1 in 10 of those surveyed believed their doctor would tell them if an error occurred. However despite the errors, 60% of patients who thought their doctor would tell the truth about making a mistake would still recommend that same doctor to others. Only 30% of those who didn’t trust their doctors to come clean with errors would recommend their doctor.

However, the perception of honesty had little impact on a patient’s likelihood of filing a medical malpractice action. Where medical errors occur that harm a patient, they are entitled to compensation for that injury.

Researchers hope this information will be used to help develop policies regarding physician disclosure of errors.

Continue reading " Medical Malpractice Victims More Forgiving Of Doctors They Trust " »