In today’s digital world, and since the dawn of the computer and the proliferation of the internet, we tend to rely heavily on technology. Indeed, when a piece of technology malfunctions, we are often impatient, if not downright shocked. And one would never expect a computer to be wrong — a miscalculation or misinterpretation of data by a machine might[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Nov 21, 2018
read moreAccording to a recent report from NBC News, many doctors are making the decision to quit their jobs—some after decades of employment as healthcare providers. While physicians have different motivations for leaving the medical profession, their decisions to quit and pursue other careers is leaving the healthcare field with an estimated shortage of doctors in the future. Is there really[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Oct 22, 2018
read moreMany family members worry about their elderly loved ones and the risk of a serious personal injury. Sometimes we think about how these risks can play out in a nursing home setting due to the result of elder abuse or neglect, while in other cases we might consider the ways in which medical malpractice can cause especially devastating injuries to[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Oct 15, 2018
read moreAccording to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), about 211 million pregnancies occur every year, and about 123 million of those women ultimately give birth to an infant. Many women who get pregnant in the U.S. and carry to term assume that they are receiving some of the best healthcare in the world. However, according to a startling report[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Oct 8, 2018
read moreTraumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can be debilitating, with innumerable physical and intellectual consequences. For many people who sustain severe TBIs, it is impossible to return to life the way it was before the accident. According to a recent study published in JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal, head trauma can also lead to a sharp increase in the risk of suicide.[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Oct 1, 2018
read morePatients should never expect to suffer injuries as a result of medical malpractice, but negligence can happen in a doctor’s office, in a hospital, and in other healthcare settings more often than people might think. In order to prevent medical negligence litigation, and to avoid claims like a failure to diagnose cancer, some healthcare providers have turned to a practice[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Sep 24, 2018
read moreDid you know that drinking alcohol actually kills more Americans each year than opioids do? While there has been a significant public outcry about opioid addiction and the serious harms of opioid use, we rarely devote the same attention to public policy changes when it comes to alcohol consumption and injury prevention. According to a recent article in The Inquirer,[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Sep 17, 2018
read moreMedical errors happen all too frequently in the United States, and patients suffer serious personal injuries. An article in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ explained how medical mistakes are the third-leading cause of death in our country, and hospitals need to do better when it comes to reporting these errors so that we can gain a better understanding of how[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Sep 10, 2018
read moreFor patients who suffer injuries as a result of medical mistakes and medical errors, as well as for consumers who simply need to rely on health insurance for their medical needs, the lack of transparency in the healthcare industry can be extremely frustrating and problematic. According to a recent article in The Inquirer, there are state laws in place that[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Sep 3, 2018
read moreCan our political leanings distort our assessment of unrelated expertise? More specifically, can a person’s political leanings—which differ from her healthcare provider’s political leanings—affect that person’s relationship with her physician? A recent article in The New York Times addresses this issue and raises the question of whether a patient may be more likely to assume that a doctor has made[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Aug 27, 2018
read moreIn rural areas of the country, hospitals are consolidating and more and more patients find themselves living dozens—if not hundreds—of miles away from the nearest medical facility. According to a recent article in The New York Times, these hospital closures are having an especially harmful effect on pregnant women who are not receiving the medical care they need in order[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Aug 20, 2018
read moreHeart Surgery May Have Caused Movie Star Death Bill Paxton was well-known as an actor in TV and films, starring in such blockbusters as Apollo 13, Twister, and Titanic. The news of his tragic death did not go into much detail when he passed in 2017, though there was some mention that he died after suffering a stroke due to[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Aug 13, 2018
read moreShould you be worried about possible illness or injury as a result of water pollution if you live in Pennsylvania? While Philadelphia residents might not think that they are at risk of harm as a result of water pollution, there are many ways in which pollutants can have long-term and debilitating impacts. According to a recent article in The Inquirer,[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Aug 6, 2018
read moreSuffering a stroke is a terrifying experience, and one that most people hope will never affect them or their loved ones. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is reduced or cut off entirely, and the effects of a stroke can be severe. The Mayo Clinic reports that complications and long-term side effects of a stroke include[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Aug 2, 2018
read moreWhen healthcare professionals began using electronic health record (EHR) systems, many patient safety advocates hoped that these systems would help to reduce the rate of medical errors and patient injuries since they could help to cut out human error in patient recordkeeping. Indeed, according to a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), certain forms of technology[...]
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Jul 30, 2018
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