Recent Blog Posts
Medication Errors Made with Almost 63,000 Children Every Year
Medication errors are preventable events which cause injury or harm to a patient. There are more than 10,000 prescription medications currently available on the market, and according to statistics from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), more than 700,000 people visit emergency rooms each year because of some kind of adverse reaction to a medication. Another 100,000 people are hospitalized.
A new study has revealed just how prevalent medication errors are for children. There are more than 63,000 medication errors in pediatric prescribed medications every year. One-quarter of those children are infants who are 12 months old or younger. These numbers mean that every eight minutes, a child is being given the incorrect medicine or an incorrect dose.
Phone App Can Help Stop Teens from Texting and Driving
Many studies have revealed that despite the warnings and education, millions of drivers are still guilty of texting and driving. In Texas, one out of every four car crashes is caused by a distracted driver. Teens, especially, still frequently send and receive text messages while driving. Texas is only one of seven states in the country that has not banned texting and driving, however, almost two dozen cities, including Austin and San Antonio, have passed local ordinances that ban the use of cell phones while driving. Parents of teen-age drivers who are concerned their teens may practice the dangerous habit of texting while driving can help alleviate those concerns with a mobile phone app called “SafeCell” which is available for both iPhone and Android smartphone users. When the app is downloaded to a phone, it uses GPS technology to determine if the phone is traveling more than five miles per hour. When the driver uses the phone to text, make phone calls, or logs onto other apps, such as social media accounts, SafeCell will send an alert to the parents that tells them when the phone was used, where the phone was used and how fast the vehicle was moving when the phone was used. The app also gives parents the option to disable all of the phone’s calling, texting,email, and social media capabilities if the car is in motion. The app also blocks incoming calls and text messages while the vehicle is in motion. Those incoming messages are re-routed to a directory that does not show up until the driver stops the car. The app does have an emergency call feature which would allow a caller to interrupt those lock-out features, so teens could call for help in an emergency. If you have been injured in a vehicle crash caused by the negligence of another driver, contact an experienced New Braunfels car accident attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to.
Twenty Percent of Drivers in Fatal Crashes Are Unlicensed
A new report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that almost 20 percent of drivers who are involved in fatal car accidents are unlicensed. The report was prepared using 2012 crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). This system was developed in 1975 by the NHTSA as a census of all the fatal crashes that occur in each of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Since its implementation, there have been close to one million crashes entered into the database. A vehicle accident is entered into FARS if it meets the following:
- Accident occurred on a road that is open to the public; and
- The accident resulted in the death of at least one person within 30 days of the incident.
There are a number of reasons why a driver would not have a driver’s license; however, FARS does not include that information in its database. Possible reasons include failure of the driver to renew their license on time; license had been suspended or revoked for driving violations (such as driving under the influence or speeding); license had been suspended for revoked for non-driving violations (such as failure to pay child support); never obtained a driver’s license; and having never obtained a license specific to the vehicle being driven (such as a motorcycle).
Epilepsy and Brain Injuries
This month is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. There are currently more than two million people in this country who suffer from epilepsy, which is characterized by unprovoked and recurrent seizures. There are several causes of epilepsy, including traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Over one million people sustain TBIs every year. Some of the most common ways include vehicle accidents or sport injuries. Epileptic seizures can occur in severe, moderate, and even mild head traumas. If not medically recognized or treated properly, victims can not only suffer from additional seizures, but may face other major health issues and disabilities, and even death.
A severe head trauma is one where the victim lost consciousness for more than one day or suffered from internal bleeding of the brain. A moderate head injury is defined as loss of consciousness for between 15 minutes and 6 hours. Adults who have suffered from severe head trauma in an accident have a fifteen percent risk of developing epilepsy. For children, that risk doubles to a 30 percent risk. The risk for both adults and children jumps to approximately 50 percent if the injury they suffered involved a penetration of the brain. However, even mild TBIs can leave a victim suffering with permanent reoccurring seizures.
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Medical Error
A recent study puts the number of people who die each year from medical errors that occur in hospitals at between 210,000 and 440,000. These figures make medical errors the third leading cause of death, with heart disease and cancer being at number one and number two. Although some in the medical field dispute the study’s numbers as too high, three prominent researchers in the patient safety field have concluded that the study’s findings are credible.
Medical errors can occur anywhere in the health system, including hospitals, physicians’ offices, outpatient surgical centers, clinics, nursing homes, laboratories, pharmacies, and even in a patient’s home. An error can occur because of diagnostic mistakes, during surgery, from medicines, equipment or lab reports. Even a hospital patient given a meal that does not coincide with their diet can cause a serious medical error.
Millions of Selfies while Driving Posted on Social Media
For the past several years, there has been a mass media campaign throughout the country about the dangers of texting and driving. Many safety advocates say the number of people who text and drive are at epidemic proportion, despite all the education and warnings to the public. Over 1 million of the auto accidents that occur every year were caused by someone using their cell phone.
There is now another alarming trend developing on the nation’s roads, and that is people who take selfies while their driving. A selfie is a photograph a person takes of themselves, typically with a smartphone, and posts to one of their social media accounts. Popular social media sites for selfies include Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The person will often add a comment with their photo using a hashtag. A hashtag is a word or a phrase that follows the pound (#) symbol.
Put a Safety Plan in Place before Hitting the Road This Holiday Season
According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the day before the Thanksgiving is the most traveled day during the extended holiday weekend. An increased number of drivers on the road has the potential of more car accidents and fatalities. For Texans planning holiday travel for Thanksgiving, it is best to keep these safety tips in mind:
- plan your route carefully;
- prepare for your trip to anticipate any delays; and
- allow plenty of driving time to reach your destination.
Drivers can benefit from a website sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), DriveTexas.org, which serves as a valuable trip-planning resource. The website provides information including:
3 Commonly Asked Questions about Slip and Fall Cases
One of the most common forms of premise liability lawsuits are slip and fall cases. These types of lawsuits can emerge from almost any setting. As the National Safety Council reports, nearly 10 million emergency room visits per year involve slip and fall cases.
Though the name might sound somewhat harmless, a slip and fall can result in broken bones, damaged ligaments, concussions, and many other injuries that may have long-lasting consequences. These often require expensive medical bills, time off of work, and physical rehabilitation before life for the victim returns to normal. Given the frequency and severity of these cases, many people are concerned about what exactly constitutes a slip and fall case.
What Should I Do If I Have Fallen?
Deadly Crash Prompts Fire Engine Recall
Firefighters face dangers on the job every day – the intense heat from fires, as well as the risk of burns from the flames, becoming trapped from collapsing, burning buildings. There is also the risk from carbon monoxide exposure, as well as other deadly chemicals they may inhale or come in contact with. But now, a recent national recall announcement from a fire engine manufacturer exposes the dangers that one model of fire engine presents to not only the firefighters riding the truck, but to everyone else on the road.
Navistar Inc. has issued a recall notice for all of their International 4800 models which were manufactured between June 1999 and May 2002, which are also equipped with Fabco TC-200 transfer cases. According to the recall notice, there is a chance that the driveshaft of the truck can separate and cause the axle to lock up.
The recall comes as a result of an investigation of a deadly crash in which six people were killed, this past June. According to a report issued by the Montana State Police, the fire chief of the Three Forks Fire Department in Montana was driving a 2002 International fire engine on the highway when the drivetrain of the truck failed. The drivetrain of a vehicle powers its wheels. This failure caused a wheel on the truck to lock and the chief lost control of the truck, which crossed over the lane and slammed into an oncoming pickup truck, causing an explosion and fire.
Report Reveals One in Twenty Patients Gets Misdiagnosed
Data analyzed from several different studies reveals that one in 20 U.S. patients receives an initial misdiagnosis. That adds up to at least 12 million people who go to the doctor’s office or some other medical facility for medical treatment each year that are misdiagnosed. Additionally, half of those medical errors are potentially deadly ones, such as a misdiagnosis and delay of treatment for an illness like cancer.
The analysis was conducted by a team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine. The team pointed out in their analysis that the majority of studies focus on reducing and eliminating medical errors and incorrect diagnosis in hospital settings, but that the majority of patient diagnosis are first made in an outpatient setting.
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