Developing Good Rapport With Patients
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
As a health care professional, it’s important for you to establish good communication and trust with your patients. Studies have shown that patient satisfaction and health outcomes are both affected by whether patients feel that the people caring for them are sensitive to their needs and empathize with them. This Press Ganey report on the state
- Published in General
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“I’m Sorry” Laws and Lawsuit Risk
Friday, 09 January 2015
Miscommunication or poor communication between health care providers and patients or their families—particularly in the event of an adverse outcome or incident—is known to result in increased numbers of malpractice lawsuits. When health care providers have the opportunity to express condolences or apologies to patients and families without fear of having those words used against
- Published in General
Organizational Strategies to Reduce Work Stress for Health Care Professionals
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Work stress is an unfortunate reality of much of the health care industry. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control has been studying workplace stress for almost two decades, and many of their proposed solutions revolve around organizational changes. Although there are steps that health care workers
- Published in General, Management, Medical Directors
Reducing Laboratory Errors
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Lab testing forms the basis for many aspects of diagnosis and treatment. This means that test-related errors can have serious repercussions. A study from ECRI Patient Safety Organization found that the majority of errors related to lab testing took place outside the laboratory itself. Common errors included: Mislabeled specimens Specimens with an incomplete or missing
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Medical Liability Terminology That Health Care Professionals Should Know
Thursday, 20 November 2014
You probably learned basic legal terminology while you were getting your degree and other training, but if you are ever involved in a malpractice lawsuit or claim, you may find yourself overwhelmed by unfamiliar words and phrases. Here is a glossary that covers many of the legal and insurance terms you might hear in relation
- Published in General
Communication is Key for Patient Care
Thursday, 13 November 2014
According to the Institute for Healthcare Communication, “Extensive research has shown that no matter how knowledgeable a clinician might be, if he or she is not able to open good communication with the patient, he or she may be of no help.” That’s a strong statement, but it speaks to how incredibly important it is
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Liability Concerns for Health and Safety Educators
Thursday, 06 November 2014
As an educator specializing in health and safety education, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re sending people out into the world to potentially save lives. Whether you provide first aid, CPR, AED or other related training, your professional advice and expertise is unquestionably valuable. The flip side is that the life-or-death nature of
- Published in General, Health & Safety Education
The Impact of Nursing Workloads on Patients
Thursday, 30 October 2014
Study after study has shown that nurses around the world are burdened with heavy workloads. This is largely a result of under-staffing, which is caused by a variety of different factors, including an increase in demand for nurses as the population ages, an inadequate supply of available nurses, deliberately reduced staffing and increased overtime intended
Common Malpractice Claims Against Radiologists
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Advances in radiologic technology in recent years have led to an increase in the role of the radiologist related to patient care. Increasing numbers of legal claims against radiologists have naturally followed as radiologists take on additional responsibility for patient diagnoses. Based on recent statistics, 31% of radiologists can expect to be involved in a
- Published in General, Professional Liability Insurance, Radiologists
Infection Prevention in Health Care Settings
Thursday, 16 October 2014
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes detailed guidelines designed to minimize the chances of health care-associated infections in patients and the spread of infection within the facility. Here are some of the things you can do to ensure that you and your patients are safe from infection. Maintain hand hygiene standards Practicing
- Published in General, Health & Safety Education, Nurses