Trans-rectal Prostate Biopsy Normal standard of care is 500mg of ciprofloxacin and fleet enema prior to surgery. Aftercare of 10 to 14 daily regimen of 500mg of ciprofloxacin with signs and symptoms to watch for development of infection. Risk factor following surgery is developing E. Coli bacterium with ciprofloxacin resistance. The patient underwent the normal standard of care prior to his surgery. After surgery, the patient started developing the signs of infection and reported this to his urologist’s office. Knowing that there is a risk of the patient developing E. Coli with resistance to the ciprofloxacin antibiotic, the physician should admit the patient to the hospital for testing and treatment. This is the normal standard of care by any surgeon performing a trans-rectal prostate biopsy. Instead, the physician ordered a routine blood test and an additional week of ciprofloxacin antibiotic, he also informed the patient to go to the emergency room if his …show more content…
Under the Good Samaritan Law, the person giving aid to the injured is granted immunity if they make an error while rendering emergency medical aid” (US Legal, Inc, 1997-2016). For this law to protect the Good Samaritan two facts are relevant, 1. The aid must be provided at the scene and the person rendering the aid must not have any ulterior motives for compensation. Example: While on board a plane, a passenger has a heart attack and is in need of CPR. A Good Samaritan jumps into action and starts to perform CPR on the victim. During chest compressions one of the victim’s ribs is broken from the impact of repeated compressions. The plane lands, the heart attack victim is taken to the hospital and fully recovers. The victim is made aware that a rib was broken during compressions performed by a Good Samaritan. The victim cannot file suit against the Good Samaritan for causing their rib to
Medical malpractice cases are difficult for the families who have lost their loved one or have suffered from severe injuries. No one truly wins in complicated court hearings that consist of a team of litigation attorneys for both the defendant and plaintiff(s). During the trial, evidence supporting malpractice allegations have to be presented so that the court can make a decision if the physician was negligent resulting in malpractice, or if the injury was unavoidable due to the circumstances. In these types of tort cases, the physician is usually a defendant on trial trying to prove that he or she is innocent of the medical error, delay of treatment or procedure that caused the injury. The perfect example of being at fault for medical malpractice as a result of delaying a procedure is the case of Waverly family versus John Hopkins Health System Corporation. The victims were not compensated enough for the loss of their child’s normal life. Pozgar (2012) explained….
Sometimes beneficence and non-maleficence can clash in some circumstances, because doing someone harm in the short term, can benefit them in the long term. If the paramedics put a bigger emphasis on Walker getting looked at in the hospital, which would potentially be going against her wishes, it could've saved her life, therefore having a greater long term benefit. When the coroner assessed Walker, it was evident that the traffic accident produced major trauma, more than the paramedics first had assumed. They didn’t perform all trauma assessments which has proven to be potentially a crucial mistake. The coroners report showed that Walker was suffering from a lacerated spleen and multiple rib fractures. Unfortunately, the principle of non-maleficence can be said to of been neglected and therefore the deterioration and death of Nola Walker was the
On the morning of May 17th, 2005, Nola Walker was involved in a two-car collision. Police and Ambulance were dispatched and arrive on scene at the intersection of Kenny and Fernley Street. Ambulance conducted various assessments on Ms. Walker which revealed no major injuries and normal vital signs. Mrs walker denied further medical investigation and denied hospital treatment. Later on, Queensland police conducted a roadside breath test that returned a positive reading, police then escorted Ms. Walker to the cairns police station. Ms. Walker was found to be unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing. An ambulance was called but attempts to revive her failed (Coroner’s Inquest, Walker 2007). The standard of Legal and ethical obligation appeared by paramedics required for this situation are flawed and require further examination to conclude whether commitments of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice were accomplished.
“Reviewed all of the arguments in favor of the immunity, and demolished them so completely as to change the whole course of the law. It has been followed by a deluge of decisions holding that there is no immunity at all, and that a charity is liable for its torts to the same extent as any other defendant.” (Prosser on Torts, 3d Ed., 1964,p
The Lewis Blackman Case: Ethics, Law, and Implications for the Future Medical errors in decision making that result in harm or death are tragic and costly to the families affected. There are also negative impacts to the medical providers and the associated institutions (Wu, 2000). Patient safety is a cornerstone of higher-quality health care and nurses serve as a communication link in all settings which is critical in surveillance and coordination to reduce adverse outcomes (Mitchell, 2008). The Lewis Blackman Case 1 of 1 point accrued
Because I provide the surgeon with medications, hemostatic agents and irrigation solutions it is crucial to know the proper usage of each, along with the side effects, patient's allergies, and contradictions of certain medications and their reactive
There are defenses against negligence lawsuits for sports medicine professionals. The first of which is assumption of risk, where the athlete voluntarily and knowingly assumes the risk of an activity through an expressed or implied agreement. This can be done by having a form signed during pre-season paperwork. This does not forgive a clinician of reckless conduct, however. Assumption of risk is for the usual risks, and the athlete by singing assumes responsibility for injury that occurs as a result of the inherent dangers of sport. It is crucial that athletes be informed that risk for injury exists and understand the nature of that risk. Another defense is an act of God, which are events that are outside of human control. This includes natural disasters, weather, and other environmental concerns in which no one can be held responsible. If the incident was not foreseeable, this is another defense a clinician could use against a negligence lawsuit. Foreseeability is based upon whether the clinician at fault could have realistically anticipated the consequences that would result because of their conduct. In order for the clinician to be held liable, the harm must foreseeably arise from the negligent act. Good Samaritan laws provide limited security against legal liability should an accident arise while providing care during an emergency, in good faith, without expected compensation, and without misconduct or gross negligence. This usually does not apply to someone providing care during regular employment. It was created for situations in which a volunteer comes to the aid of an injured person during an emergency in order to reduce bystanders ' hesitation to assist because of the fear of a lawsuit. The individual providing care must ...
Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Some of the best lessons in life are learned from making a mistake. But in the healthcare world making mistakes means losing lives. This has started to happen so frequently there has been a term coined – Failure to Rescue or FTR. Failure to rescue is a situation in which a patient was starting to deteriorate and it wasn’t noticed or it wasn’t properly addressed and the patient dies. The idea is that doctors or nurses could’ve had the opportunity to save the life of the patient but because of a variety of reasons, didn’t. This paper discusses the concept of FTR, describes ways to prevent it from happening; especially in relation to strokes or cerebrovascular accidents, and discusses the nursing implications involved in all of these factors.
Engelhardt Jr., H. Tristram. “Ethical Issues in Aiding the Death of Young Children.” Intervention and Reflection Basic Issues in Medical Ethics. 8th ed. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.
If the victim is injured, or suffered physical or emotional distress, they have the right to sue in civil court, where you may be ordered to pay monetary damages such as medical bills, compensation for the victim’s lost days at work, and even money for the pain and suffering caused to the victim.
There is a strict distinction between acts and omissions in tort of negligence. “A person is often not bound to take positive action unless they have agreed to do so, and have been paid for doing so.” (Cane.2009; 73) The rule is a settled one and allows some exceptions only in extreme circumstances. The core idea can be summarized in “why pick on me” argument. This attitude was spectacularly demonstrated in a notoriously known psychological experiment “The Bystander effect” (Latané & Darley. 1968; 377-383). Through practical scenarios, psychologists have found that bystanders are more reluctant to intervene in emergency situations as the size of the group increases. Such acts of omission are hardly justifiable in moral sense, but find some legal support. “A man is entitled to be as negligent as he pleases towards the whole world if he owes no duty to them.” (L Esher Lievre v Gould [1893] 1 Q.B. 497) Definitely, when there is no sufficient proximity between the parties, a legal duty to take care cannot be lawfully exonerated and imposed, as illustrated in Palmer v Tees Health Authority [1999] All ER (D) 722). If it could, individuals would have been in the permanent state of over- responsibility for others, neglecting their own needs. Policy considerations in omission cases are not inspired by the parable of Good Samaritan ideas. Judges do favour individualism as it “permits the avoidance of vulnerability and requires self-sufficiency. “ (Hoffmaster.2006; 36)
Hospital acquired infections are spread by numerous routes including contact, intravenous routes, air, water, oral routes, and through surgery. The most common types of infections in hospitals include urinary tract infections (32%), surgical site infections (22%), pneumonia (15%), and bloodstream infections (14%). ( book). The most common microorganisms associated with the types of infections are Esherichila coli, Enterococcus species, Staphylococcus auerus, Coagulase-negative staphylococci, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.(secondary) Urinary tract infections occur when one or more of microorganisms enter the urinary system and affect the bladder and/or the kidneys. These infections are often associated improper catheterization technique. Surgical site infections occur after surgery in the part of the body where the surgery took place. These infections may involve the top of the skin, the tissue under the skin, organs, or blood vessels. Surgical site infections sometimes take days or months after surgery to develop. The infections can be cause by improper hand washing, dressing change technique, or improper surgery procedure. Pneumonia can also become a hospital acquired infection. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a type of lung in...
Some people may not know exactly what First Aid is, or if they do they might not quite understand the full meaning of it. First Aid is the care that is given to an injured or sick person prior to treatment by medically trained personnel (Nordqvist, 2009). Believe it or not First Aid is dated back to the 11th century in Europe. The order of St. John was created in Europe with an aim of training people to be able to medically care for victims of battlefield injuries (Nordqvist, 2009). During the same period there were other knights that were trained as well to help with the battlefield injuries. In the 19th century, 1859, Henry Dunant, had trained and organized local village folks to administer first aid to battlefield victims in Italy (Nordqvist, 2009). However, in 1863, four nations had met in Geneva, Switzerland and formed the Red Cross (Nordqvist, 2009). There are three main goals that First Aid has, and they are: To preserve life, to prevent further harm, and promote recovery. Preserving life is the main aim of first aid, meaning to save lives of the first aider, the victim and any bystanders. To prevent further harm means to keep the patient stable and to be sure that the patient’s...
When most people hear “First Aid” they think of the little white box with the red logo on it containing Band-Aids, gauze, tape, bug bite sticks, and antibiotic cream. However Webster’s Dictionary defines first aid as “the emergency care or treatment given to an ill or injured person before regular medical aid can be obtained”. That being said “First Aid” is not to be confused with “First Responder” whom is a trained paramedic who is able to administer CPR, medication, perform intubation, IV fluids, and a multitude of other medical tasks that any bystander or even a CPR certified civilian is unable to perform.
Regretfully, with no legislation in India to protect the person providing first aid, the biggest hurdle is fear of liability. As is evident, victims of road accidents are left to their destiny as the first aid worker dare not touch the victim. First aid or alternatively emergency care as it is called, is the instant help given to a sick or injured to ease off the pain or prevent the condition from worsening until a proper medical treatment is made available. It is that crucial initial action, which can prove to reduce serious injury and help improve the chances of