Pain in newborns “continues to be inconsistently assessed and inadequately managed,” according to The American Academy of Pediatrics. Remedies “are currently underused for routine minor yet painful procedures.” Preventing and reducing pain, particularly in preemies, is important because of the potential consequences for infant development, the academy says in a recent policy statement. Research suggests that repeated bouts of pain leave infants prone to potential long-term ill effects.
A fourth Los Angeles-area hospital in less than three years has settled a lawsuit over a chronic problem in the nation's second-largest city — turning homeless patients out on the streets after they have been discharged, sometimes while still needing medical attention. Without acknowledging fault, Good Samaritan Hospital near downtown Los Angeles settled for $450,000 and agreed to follow protocols to properly release homeless patients, City Attorney Mike Feuer said Thursday. That brings the amount of such settlements with area hospitals to $1.9 million since January 2014.
Approximately one in three radiology recommendations that call for additional clinical action are not abided by, according to a large retrospective study. And nearly half of those directives are not even acknowledged. The findings suggest the need for better communication and technology to protect patients from possible harm. "We were concerned because we had a number of cases in which we made a recommendation that was not followed, and it turned into a problem," study investigator Alexander Norbash, MD, from the University of San Diego, said here at the American Roentgen Ray Society 2016 Annual Meeting.
Less than half of stroke patients who were hospitalized and died within 30 days had their preferences for lifesaving measures recorded in a recent study of California hospitals. “All patients admitted to the hospital for a stroke should have a conversation with the clinical team about their goals of care, which should include a discussion about life-sustaining interventions,” said lead author Dr. Maisha T. Robinson of the neurology department at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Since 2008, Medicare has refused to reimburse hospitals for treating complications they created, but studies have found that the change has not resulted in substantial decreases in harm. Nationwide, infections and other avoidable hospital complications remain a threat to patients, occurring during 12 of every 100 stays, according to a federal estimate. Patients were hurt in some way more than four million times when hospitalized in 2014. [Subscription required.]
Patients are getting fewer infections and suffering fewer injuries, though some snags remain, while the hiring of additional medical staff, technological upgrades and extensive renovations have begun to attract more insured patients to Jackson Health System, according to reports presented on Wednesday to the Public Health Trust that governs Miami-Dade's $1.8 billion-a-year public hospital network.