There may come a time in your life when you need to visit a local emergency room for immediate treatment. It's not something you want to do, but if you're put in this position it's important to do your part in making sure everything goes right.
It's been estimated that roughly 5 to 10% of all emergency room visits are subject to some type of error. This alone should be enough for you to understand the importance of protecting yourself.
Typically, cases of nursing neglect comes to light from the neglected patients or their survivors ... which is why the proactive stance that some registered nurses in Chicago have taken deserves a mention. These dedicated professionals are concerned that short-staffing at the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) are a major risk to the patients.
As such, many have filed formal complaints against the facility with both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Their complaints allege that USMC failed to comply with state and federal laws which jeopardized the safety of the patients in the facility.
Car accidents are often confusing and frightening for those who experience them. It may feel like a great relief to make it through an accident with no pain or discomfort afterwards. While it is certainly possible to experience an accident without suffering injuries, this is less common than many people realize.
In fact, some of the most harmful injuries do not cause pain or discomfort right away. Delayed pain injuries may not produce pain for a few hours, such as whiplash, or may remain hidden for a week or more in the case of a mild traumatic brain injury.
An investigation is underway at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center this week. Health and safety officials obtained information that two patients had fallen victim to Legionnaire's disease due to exposure that may have occurred at Mercy. Legionnaire's disease is the result of exposure to Legionella bacteria which only occurs when a building's water system is kept in substandard conditions.
Legionnaire's disease is entirely preventable. The conditions that lead to the growth of Legionella bacteria are well-known. When a water system is maintained properly, the bacteria won't grow. However, facilities that fail to maintain proper water safety standards can expose visitors to significant danger. An illness that at first feels like the flu can turn fatal if not treated quickly.
A minor brain injury can make even the simplest job difficult or impossible to perform. Unless you have a "drone job" that requires very little critical thinking or attention, suffering a minor brain injury may completely destroy your career, and do it quickly.
One of the most difficult things about minor brain injuries is that they don't always cause symptoms immediately, so a victim may experience a blow to the head and think that they didn't suffer any damage because their head doesn't hurt afterward and they don't notice any immediate side effects.
You know all about the physical challenges that a loved one faces when moving to a nursing home, and perhaps those challenges are the main reason for the move. The person has trouble with mobility and cannot take care of themselves. They need constant care from the staff just to accomplish daily tasks.
However, you need to remember that many residents also face mental and emotional challenges. The staff has to know how to deal with these properly.
No one wants to suffer serious injuries as a result of going to a doctor. However, many medical providers make grave errors during surgical procedures that hurt their patients. Or, they make mistakes when diagnosing patients and giving treatments. These mistakes could result in injury or death.
Since everyone faces the risk of getting hurt by a negligent or reckless doctor, it's important that patients take proactive steps to prevent becoming a victim of medical malpractice.
Medicine can be a high-stress career. Doctors may have to make life-and-death decisions for patients. A mistake they made could cost someone their health, their mobility or even their life. However, doctors typically receive excellent compensation for the high-stress work that they do, and it is not too much to expect that they live up to the standards set by the medical community in which they practice.
Patients pay to have an expert opinion of their health and a diagnosis of any conditions impacting their well-being. Diagnosis is one of the most critical parts of medicine. When doctors fail to adequately investigate the causes of symptoms, patients often end up paying the price.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is investigating new cases of Legionnaires' disease. One outbreak in Champaign County may be tied to the First Christian Church where several victims recently attended a wedding. Another outbreak occurred at the Embassy Suites in Chicago. These outbreaks are a serious health matter and anyone exposed needs to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Caught early enough, the disease can be treated with antibiotics.
Legionnaires' disease is a deadly condition that is often caused by improper maintenance of water or air conditioning systems. The disease spreads when victims inhale water contaminated with Legionella bacteria. Hotels and apartment buildings are common sites for these outbreaks, as they contain hot tubs, spa pools, shower heads, indoor fountains, irrigation systems and other sites where water can stagnate and become contaminated. When proper prevention standards are followed, the Legionella bacteria cannot thrive. Failure to follow these standards is a sign of negligence by property owners and managers.
Nursing home negligence and abuse are problems not often spoken about. People tend to err on the side of trusting nursing homes to provide proper care to their loved ones. This could be a huge mistake because these issues occur at a rate greater than what most people realize.
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