Hospital employees see how certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) impact the lives of their patients every day. CRNAs provide vital services under regular circumstances, adapt under crises with impeccable capability, and help some of the most underserved parts of the United States. In this article, we will explore the importance of CRNAs in the healthcare industry so that readers can appreciate all they do for the people they serve.
They Provide Vital Anesthesia Services
CRNAs prove their worth every day by providing vital anesthesia services. Through the help of CRNAs, patients receive safe, appropriate doses of anesthesia for their surgery. They also help administer medications that keep patients free from pain during their surgery, as well as monitor the patients to ensure their bodies function correctly.
CRNAs are leaders in fighting pain with practical, intelligent methods. In that way, they tremendously increase the quality of life for their patients. Like all professionals, CRNAs must protect themselves from unfair lawsuits. CRNA malpractice insurance is a worthwhile purchase for anyone in this field.
They Spend Time With Patients
Since CRNAs must evaluate patients before surgery, work with the patients during surgery, and then evaluate them post-surgery, they spend more time with patients than the typical medical professional. As a result, patients rely on CRNAs for important emotional support. Perhaps the importance of CRNAs in the healthcare industry is best exemplified by how their bedside manner can improve patient experiences all over the country.
Their Role Adapts To Benefit Medical Emergencies
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the United States, the roles of CRNAs in many hospitals adapted to new realities. They gained skills in ventilation management, advanced patient assessment, advanced airway management, and in many other related areas. In the face of medication, equipment, and staffing shortages, CRNAs were indispensable leaders.
They Help in Underserved Parts of the United States
In many cases, CRNAs are the only providers of anesthesia services in rural hospitals. In the parts of our country that need the most support, CRNAs are available to help and lead the way. In Kansas, for instance, the majority of anesthesia providers are CRNAs.
When a chiropractor makes a life-altering mistake, patients have the right to sue them for damages. Sometimes chiropractors manipulate a patient’s body until they have severe pain. Sometimes their major mistakes can even cause strokes. Chiropractic patients understandably expect to be cured by the hands of a medical professional, not further injured. People who suspect their chiropractor has caused them harm and want compensation for their misbehavior should familiarize themselves with the primary causes of chiropractic malpractice cases. By reviewing the most common chiropractic negligence cases, you’ll have a better understanding of what behaviors constitute malpractice.
Failure To Diagnose a Medical Condition That Requires Immediate Care
Just like any other medical professional, chiropractors are required by law to put the patient’s health above everything else. To that end, chiropractors must analyze the symptoms causing a patient’s ailment and refer them to other professionals for immediate medical care when necessary. Even if chiropractors were to lose money by making referrals, that is exactly what they must do. If they fail to do so, they may be liable for an injury.
For instance, if a chiropractor treats a patient for a compression in the spine when their symptoms indicate a potential heart attack, the chiropractor may be liable for that patient’s death if they die from the overlooked heart attack.
Lack of Informed Consent
Chiropractors must inform their patients of the potential risks associated with their treatment before they begin. If they fail to do so, they could be liable for their injuries.
For instance, some people may go to chiropractors for issues with upper back and neck pain. The chiropractor may offer some initial relief, but they then might go to a doctor for pain in their thumb and index finger. If they are surprised to learn that the newfound pain in their hand is a possible complication of their chiropractic treatment, then that chiropractor may be liable for malpractice. These kinds of errors make up some of the most common chiropractic negligence cases.
Negligent Manipulation of the Body
Negligent manipulation of the body happens when a chiropractic treatment creates new injuries or worsens old ones. Some of these injuries may include:
Broken ribs
Herniated discs
Nerve damage
Fractured vertebrae
Pinched nerves
Neck pain
Sciatic nerve pain
Lower back pain
Also, pregnant patients may go into labor earlier than expected as a result of negligent chiropractic manipulation.
Unnecessary Medical Treatment
This applies to every person working in the medical field. If a patient receives substandard care from unnecessary treatments, the chiropractor may be liable for any resulting injuries. Arguably, if the medical treatment was not necessary, then the patient did not grant their consent for the procedure. In order for a chiropractor to receive full consent, the patient must understand the procedure, its risks, and other important information. When a doctor misinforms a patient about the necessity of a procedure, that conduct might constitute medical malpractice because the patient was not given all the necessary information.
Chiropractic Induced Stroke
When a chiropractor manipulates the neck, they occasionally damage an artery that brings blood to the brain. When this happens, the patient may experience a stroke. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of instances when aggressive chiropractic practices have led to strokes. Experts say the known number of victims is an underestimate because most doctors do not ask stroke victims if they have been under the care of a chiropractor.
Damages for Chiropractic Malpractice
People who have fallen victim to chiropractic malpractice need to understand the damages they can collect for their injuries. Damages are the compensation for which people base their lawsuits. When a person sues for a chiropractor’s mistakes, they are requesting the court to compel the chiropractor to pay back whatever they lost as a result of that mistake. That dollar amount is considered the case’s “damages.” A few ways a person can accrue damages in a chiropractic malpractice case include:
Medical expenses to fix whatever problems the chiropractor caused or exacerbated
Lost wages due to all the time away from work the plaintiff lost while mending their problem
The household services they paid for to keep them functional during their recovery
Pain and suffering
Working with an attorney, people who have suffered at the hands of a chiropractor can reach a dollar amount for their lawsuit.
Filing a Lawsuit
In most states, if a plaintiff wants to sue a chiropractor, they must understand and follow the rules of medical malpractice lawsuits. They may be a little complicated, but patients must follow these rules nonetheless. Failure to follow the rules of a medical malpractice lawsuit may cause the case to be thrown out immediately.
Different states have different rules. For instance, in some states, before they can file a lawsuit, the plaintiff must give the defendant chiropractor notice that they plan to sue and on what basis. They must give an expert opinion explaining how the defendant did not meet their standard of care. Other states demand that the plaintiff send their case to a panel for review before they can file a lawsuit.
To put it simply, filing a lawsuit for malpractice is difficult, painstaking work. It should not be treated as a “do-it-yourself” operation. The complexity of the lawsuit and the lengthy litigation process cannot be accomplished easily without a lawyer. For that reason, patients who believe they have a malpractice case against a chiropractor should speak to a lawyer as their first course of action. Working alongside a trained, educated professional can avoid a great deal of trouble and lost time.
Conclusion
Although chiropractors often do wonderful work for people in need, they also have the potential to do tremendous damage. People on the receiving end of poor chiropractic work may have a malpractice case on their hands. Whether it is a failure to diagnose a medical problem or a lack of informed consent, unnecessary treatments or a chiropractic induced stroke, people every day are injured by their chiropractors. If you think you may be one of these people, you should work alongside an attorney to see if you have a case.
Nurses who are about to begin their clinicals have a lot to look forward to. This is the culmination of a great deal of work. But, in order to avoid getting overwhelmed, they should know exactly what to expect going in. These four things you should know before you start nursing clinicals will hopefully prepare you for the difficult yet rewarding road ahead.
1. How Nursing Clinicals Work
You will shadow nurses and assist them as often as you can. At the beginning of most programs, you will be assigned one patient at first; then, a second will be added once you get more comfortable. You may be tasked with studying their cases, completing a summary of any abnormal lab values, and writing a nursing care plan. A clinical professor will visit you throughout the day while they make their rounds. They will want to be present if you are trying a task for the first time.
2. Your Potential Rotations
One of the most important things you should know before you start nursing clinicals is what rotations are available. A good nursing program should offer a range of clinical specialties, including:
Acute care
Emergency room
Long-term care
Mental health
Obstetrics
Oncology
Public and community health
Depending on your school’s program, you may be able to request a specialty.
3. What You Will Learn
You will learn a lot during your clinicals. All the material you have learned in your studies will transfer over into real-life practice. You will walk away with a far better understanding of the concepts you learned in school. You will eventually learn how to give medications, assess patients, change dressings, give families care, fill medical charts, and juggle several patients during one shift.
You will become familiar with the pace of working in different units. Through this experience, you will grow a better understanding of where you want to take your nursing career.
4. The Length of Your Clinicals
The length of your clinicals will vary based on your school. However, you can typically expect them to be between 120 and 140 hours per semester. You will usually be at the hospital twice a week for up to six hours at a time. Students often say that between lectures and clinicals, they dedicate way more than 40 hours per week to their education.
This is a truly exciting time for nurses, but they also must know how to protect themselves in case they run into legal trouble. Contact Baxter & Associates to learn more about malpractice insurance plans for nurse practitioners.
It takes the work of an experienced lawyer to parcel out the differences between malpractice and negligence in nursing. In this article, we’ll go over the basic differentiators. Using this information, the victims of poor medical care can better understand their options.
Duty of Care
Just because a patient suffers a bad outcome doesn’t necessarily mean that medical malpractice or negligence in nursing occurred. Nurses can only do so much. Despite their best efforts, patients die or never recover from life-altering injuries. However, nurses do owe a duty of care to their patients. If they breach that duty, patients or their families can sue.
You can base a duty of care on what a rational person would do under the same circumstances. In both malpractice and negligence cases, the plaintiff must prove that the nurse did not live up to the standards of a rational nurse. Proving what a rational nurse would do and how the nurse in the case failed to do that can be difficult. These cases require the knowledge of experienced attorneys.
Intent To Harm
One of the major differences between malpractice and negligence in nursing is the matter of intent. Although a duty of care is a vital component of malpractice and negligence cases in nursing, an attorney only needs to prove “intent” in malpractice cases. This means that attorneys, or the plaintiff in malpractice cases, must prove that the nurse knew they should have done something to treat the patient but failed to do so. They also must have known that their failure could cause harm but did it regardless.
In negligence cases, attorneys do not prove intent. In negligence cases for nurses, the attorneys must prove that they made a “mistake” when treating the patient and that the mistake resulted in harm. For example, if a nurse leaves a surgical sponge inside a surgical wound, that would be a negligent action.
Luckily for many nurses, certified registered nurse anesthetics (CRNAs) can protect themselves with CRNA malpractice insurance.
