May took a claims-heavy focus with Risk Management’s two flagship publications.
Smooth Transitions:
The Importance of Handoffs for Continuity of Care
A handoff is a complex process that happens thousands of times a day in busy hospitals and healthcare centers. Handoffs occur all along the continuum of patient care between different members of the healthcare team. A successful handoff reporting process increases patient safety and can decrease liability risk. The primary goal of the handoff report is to accurately and consistently transfer patient information from one provider to another, summarizing a patient’s key issues. Handoff communications should occur any time a patient moves from one place to another and any time a different clinician assumes responsibility for a patient.
Read the issue here.
Informed Refusal: The Other Side of Consent
In this episode of Rapid Risk Review, host Brad Byrne, along with colleagues Mallory Earley and Kelly Riedl, delve into the complexities of informed refusal in healthcare. They discuss the importance of informed consent, the ethical implications of patient autonomy, and the necessity of thorough documentation when patients refuse care. The conversation emphasizes the need for healthcare professionals to navigate these situations with clarity, compassion, and compliance, ensuring that patients are fully informed of the risks and consequences of their decisions.
Listen here.
The Allegation:
The defendants failed to inform the mother of the risks of vaginal delivery with probable fetal macrosomia and failed to timely and correctly perform the maneuvers to relieve the shoulder dystocia.
Case Background:
On August 23, a primigravida, 270 lb., 64 in. tall patient (BMI 46) presented to a clinic following a positive home pregnancy test. Her estimated delivery was April 6. She was seen regularly at the clinic for prenatal care. During her pregnancy she gained 75 lb. Her blood sugar hovered around 120. She was referred to a gestational diabetes program for nutritional counseling, both for her borderline gestational diabetes and excessive weight gain.
Read the full case study here.