MedMal Insider

A patient died following a medication mixup in an understaffed medical ICU. A large settlement was reached on behalf of the RN who administered the wrong dose of the wrong medicine.

A cholecystectomy patient alleged that mishandling of her post-operative calls to the surgical practice and lack of follow-up caused her post-operative complications. Like many cases, how the surgical practice communicated with the patient after a complication occurred was a key aspect.

Parents alleged that a delayed diagnosis of a foreign body in their child’s nose caused preventable nosebleeds, nasal infection, nasal septal perforation, and the need for surgery. The malpractice claim named the pediatric group, two pediatricians, and a pediatric nurse practitioner, and was settled in the low range.

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.

Clear liability case from a reversed X-ray was resolved efficiently with insurer/institution cooperation.