System Failures and Medical Malpractice – Imagine: A critical care manager accepting a supposedly experienced nurse’s description of her experience and knowledge base gained out an out of state hospital. A critical care manager that supports nurses thinking that they do not need close observation while being precepted. A hospital that has, on staff, surgeons […]
Category archives for Legal Nurse Consultant
The estimated annual incidence of acute myocardial infarction in the United States is 600,000 new cases and 320,000 recurrent attacks. The diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction is made on the basis of a high clinical suspicion based on the history and physical examination findings in addition to changes in cardiac biomarkers and EKG changes. Treatment […]
The nursing assessment is an important tool not only for the nurse performing the assessment but as I tool to determine progress or lack of progress of a patient. As a Legal Nurse Consultant reviewing the nursing record of a patient you also need to determine the accuracy of the assessments. One might suggest that […]
Legally where does the responsibility of the nurse begin and end? If an order that a physician writes causes harm to the patient and the nurse that followed through with the order had the knowledge and experience to know that the order could/would cause harm to the patient, does that nurse not bear some responsibility […]
As a professional, a registered nurse and Legal Nurse Consultant, I have strong feelings that those that have taken on a career as a registered nurse or Legal Nurse Consultant, demonstrate and own a strong ethical value system in both their professional and personal lives. Ones’ behavior, professional and personally, impacts the reputation of the […]
The next few blog posts are going to address the Joint Commission Core Measures for various Core Measure Sets as related to specific medical conditions. Whenever I am reviewing medical records for a malpractice case I utilize templates I have devised if possible. These templates include a list of specifics concerning the cases particular medical […]
You find yourself interested in the Legal Nurse Consulting profession and research educational programs that offer a pathway to a Legal Nurse Consulting Career. Following are some of the phrases you might see as you click on sites that offer Legal Nurse Consulting programs: Experience Total Financial Freedom!! Earn up to $150/hr.*as a Certified Legal […]
I have had an opportunity to review a number of cases recently where Dilaudid caused serious complications, including death. Dilaudid is not a drug to be given without knowledge of a patient’s previous narcotic exposure and serious consideration of Dilaudid’s side effects. Spurred by the 2001 Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization’s pain […]
Previously the nursing care post PCI procedure was discussed focusing on what a PCI is, vital signs and monitoring of the insertion site, and removal of the sheath. This post will address the complications that can occur prior to and after sheath removal, and the interventions to take if any of these occur. Hematoma This […]
I belatedly decided to do some research on what to look for in a LNC when looking for subcontracting work. Interestingly I found quite a few links regarding what a LNC should look for in finding nurses to use as subcontractors, but I found nothing on the characteristics of an LNC one would want to […]
A percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often called balloon angioplasty. A catheter is inserted into the blood vessels either in the groin (femoral artery) or in the arm (radial artery). Using a special type of X-ray called fluoroscopy; the catheter is threaded through the blood vessels into the heart where the coronary artery is narrowed. […]
Nursing Documentation: Legal Ramifications My experience as a clinical bedside nurse and a legal nurse consultant has proven to me that many nurses simply do not understand the medical and legal ramifications of poor, incomplete documentation. Yes, the medical record is a document that, if not properly utilized, can lead to problems for the healthcare […]
Success is measured very differently by each individual. I have had quite a few people approach me recently asking for advice and guidance in the world of Legal Nurse Consulting. Questions range from is this a realistic field to pursue; is there enough work out there; in what areas can a legal nurse work. I […]
In October 2002, on the basis of published evidence, the Advanced Life Support Task Force of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation made the following recommendation: Unconscious adult patients with spontaneous circulation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest should be cooled to 32°C to 34°C for 12 to 24 hours when the initial rhythm was ventricular fibrillation […]
In reviewing files as a Legal Nurse Consultant one has to be acutely aware of the nurses’ responsibility in different scenarios. Yes, physicians are held liable for writing inappropriate orders, inaccurate orders, and for not writing orders; but nurses, using sometimes simple knowledge and at other times specialized knowledge should know when to not follow […]
Cardiac surgery patients are different from many other patients for a number of reasons when it comes to resuscitation post arrest. arterial line, Swan-ganz catheter (generally), and cardiac monitor; thus allowing for very early defibrillation without the use of external cardiac massage (ECM). ECM should be avoided if at all possible due to risk of […]
Delirium is one of the symptoms of sepsis. The brain has an important role in sepsis. One of the ways is as a target for the pathologic processes involved in sepsis. Sepsis causes brain dysfunction, or sepsis-associated (SAE). Delirium is a major component of SAE. It is associated with a change in cognition or perceptual […]
A new modification to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) took effect on March 26, 2013 with compliance by all effected parties required by September 23, 2013. The modifications are sweeping and all nurses should be aware of these changes for their practice, whether they are LNC’s, management, or clinical nurses. The entire […]
There are many different types of educations available for nurses that are interested in pursuing a career as a Legal Nurse Consultant. You have the online courses, the University based courses, the courses made available by different organizations, and then the courses advertised by the big marketing companies. The focus of these different courses is […]