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  1. Sep 17, '06 by nursesarah
    Quote from cyberkat
    Got to agree with you Timothy. Negligence, yes. Malpractice, yes. Homicide? No.
    if it's negligence and that negligence caused death....it is a homicide. homicide, by legal definition, is not just the willfull killing of another individual. it also includes manslaughter caused by criminal negligence, which occured in this case. so even though death was not the intent....if death occured bc of the lack of action on the health care provider, then that health care provider could be charged with homicide.

    so yes, although she died from natural causes (ie. a heart attack), it could be viewed as a homicide bc that death was due to criminal negligence.
  2. Sep 17, '06 by leslie :-D
    as i stated, face value of the story leaves one baffled.
    i am not readily going to defend either side.
    there's more to it than meets the eye.
    but, i also recognize the sensationalism that the media creates.
    i think one has to read sev'l different versions in order to get even a glimpse of the truth.
    it's tragic for both sides.

    leslie
  3. Sep 17, '06 by CseMgr1
    Have any of you seen the 1970 movie "The Hospital" starring George C. Scott? It was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was one of the (if not the best) satirists of our time, and is a black comedy about the coming apart of "Manhattan Medical Center". It hits WAY too close to home, and speaks volumes about the sad state of affairs about our health care system...both past and present. Here is an excerpt from the script, along with a link to its entirety. Frightening, to say the least.

    As a staff doctor, he was seen without preliminaries.His vital signs were taken. An electrocardiogram...which revealed occasional ventricular premature contractions. An intern took his history, and then he was...
    promptly, simply...forgotten to death.
    http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_s...chayefsky.html
  4. Sep 17, '06 by rjflyn
    I think the key to the whole situation is the indication on the coroners report that there was a significant deviation from the standard of care which led to the indicaiton that the death was a homicide. One can only speculate what that deviation was. Was it a facility, local or national standard of care. We can only speculate until we know all the facts in this case.

    I mentioned EKG in one of my prior posts as I recognized it as one of the standards that I am required to meet in my practice, again I did this solely on speculation as I dont know the facts.

    I will also comment that the complaint of chest pain is probably one of the most difficult of all complaints to triage. It does get easier with experence however. Fortunately I for one have never missed an MI patient while doing triage, but that doesn't mean I couldn't. Its hairly out there sometimes, on occasion one has to go with their gut feelings, which have served me well.

    When in doubt i am asking the charge nurse to get me a spot to put someone in. As i would rather have someone back there that doesnt need to be than sitting in the lobby.

    Rj
  5. Sep 17, '06 by Sylv
    Quote from CseMgr1
    Bingo. And if these lawyers really want to accomplish something, then they need to file a Class Action lawsuit against this country's health care system, which has been allowed to sink by self-serving politicians and greedy corporations...which should be considered a criminal act in itself.
    Who would they file it against?
  6. Sep 17, '06 by mercyteapot
    Quote from CseMgr1
    Have any of you seen the 1970 movie "The Hospital" starring George C. Scott? It was written by Paddy Chayefsky, who was one of the (if not the best) satirists of our time, and is a black comedy about the coming apart of "Manhattan Medical Center". It hits WAY too close to home, and speaks volumes about the sad state of affairs about our health care system...both past and present. Here is an excerpt from the script, along with a link to its entirety. Frightening, to say the least.

    As a staff doctor, he was seen without preliminaries.His vital signs were taken. An electrocardiogram...which revealed occasional ventricular premature contractions. An intern took his history, and then he was...
    promptly, simply...forgotten to death.
    http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_s...chayefsky.html
    Sorry to go OT, but what is your avatar? I've been sitting here looking at it and can't figure it out!
  7. Sep 17, '06 by CseMgr1
    Quote from Sylv
    Who would they file it against?
    That's a good question.

    No easy answers here, that's for sure.
  8. Sep 17, '06 by CseMgr1
    Quote from mercyteapot
    Sorry to go OT, but what is your avatar? I've been sitting here looking at it and can't figure it out!
    It's a starving piggy bank.
  9. Sep 17, '06 by charebec65
    Quote from michele08540
    TOO MANY NON- EMERGENCIES In the ER, (sore throat, splinters, scrapes etc) they need to have a Urgent Care and a ER and both properly staffed.
    That's really sad :-(
    A couple of years ago my friend's daughter suffered a concussion during a soccer game. Our daughters are on the same team. I went with them to the ER to watch the younger children so my friend could concentrate on the injured daughter. We got to Children's Hospital in Dayton and went to a triage area where she was seen by a nurse. Due to the nature of the injury and the severity of the sx, she was taken over to the ER. It turned out that we were in more of an urgent care area. Both in the same hospital.... maybe more hospitals should do this..... I doubt people will ever start doing the smart thing and quit using the ER for their minor complaints.
  10. Sep 17, '06 by mercyteapot
    Quote from CseMgr1
    It's a starving piggy bank.
    Ah, now I see it! LOL... thanks