Franklin Gray and White Blog

Study Reveals Doctor Behavior Leads To Medical Errors

From the New York Times:

"It was the middle of the night, and Laura Silverthorn, a nurse at a hospital in Washington, knew her patient was in danger.

The boy had a shunt in his brain to drain fluid, but he was vomiting and had an extreme headache, two signs that the shunt was blocked and fluid was building up. When she paged the on-call resident, who was asleep in the hospital, he told her not to worry.

After a second page, Ms. Silverthorn said, “he became arrogant and said, ‘You don’t know what to look for — you’re not a doctor.’ ”

He ignored her third page, and after another harrowing hour she called the attending physician at home. The child was rushed into surgery.

“He could have died or had serious brain injury,” Ms. Silverthorn said, “but I was treated like a pest for calling in the middle of the night.”

Her experience is borne out by surveys of hospital staff members, who blame badly behaved doctors for low morale, stress and high turnover. (Ms. Silverthorn said she had been brought to tears so many times that she was trying to start her own business and leave nursing.)

Recent studies suggest that such behavior contributes to medical mistakes, preventable complications and even death.

“It is the health care equivalent of road rage,” said Dr. Peter B. Angood, chief patient safety officer at the Joint Commission, the nation’s leading independent hospital accreditation agency.

A survey of health care workers at 102 nonprofit hospitals from 2004 to 2007 found that 67 percent of respondents said they thought there was a link between disruptive behavior and medical mistakes, and 18 percent said they knew of a mistake that occurred because of an obnoxious doctor. (The author was Dr. Alan Rosenstein, medical director for the West Coast region of VHA Inc., an alliance of nonprofit hospitals.)

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Medical negligence and errors are a too common occurrance and can lead to serious health consequences and even death.  The law firm of Franklin Gray & White represents victims of medical malpractice.  If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of medical negligence or error, please contact the experienced legal team at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

$1.2 million Lexington Kentucky Malpractice Verdict

A Fayette County Kentucky jury awarded $1.2 million to the plaintiff in a medical malpractice trial. Larry Franklin represented the plaintiff in the week-long trial in Lexington Kentucky.

Experts Concerned With Rise in C-Sections

From the Louisvile Courier-Journal:

"Kelly Parsons was in her eighth month of pregnancy when her water broke and doctors, concerned about her severe high blood pressure, prepared to deliver her baby by Caesarean section.

Lying in her hospital bed, she kept thinking her baby wasn't ready to be born.

"I knew it wasn't good," said the 30-year-old Louisville woman.

ndeed, while he's doing well at 5 years old, Parsons' son Jackson was born underweight, suffered breathing problems and jaundice and spent two weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Such serious and costly medical problems are not unusual for the growing number of babies born relatively late in pregnancy, but before the 37 to 42 weeks considered full-term.

And a growing number of doctors and health advocates -- including the March of Dimes at a recent "prematurity summit" in Louisville -- are linking this to a new factor: a jump in C-sections.

The rate of C-sections reached a record in 2005 -- the most recent year for which data are available -- 30.3 percent of all births in the United States, up 46 percent from 1996. Kentucky's rate, 33.9 percent, was sixth-highest in the nation.

Pre-term births, meanwhile, have risen more than 30 percent in two decades nationally, and today comprise about one in seven births in Kentucky and Indiana. Most of those are "late pre-term," defined as 34 to 36 weeks in the womb.

Some medical experts and women's health advocates say late pre-term births could be reduced by bringing down the number of C-sections done before 39 weeks for reasons such as mothers' requests or doctors' schedules.

The March of Dimes is asking hospitals to voluntarily review all such C-sections.

"There are many of us doing elective Caesareans," said Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, of New York, vice president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "Often, it is for the health of the mother or baby. … (But) some of it is the patients saying: 'I'm done. Get me delivered.' "

Others argue, however, that the vast majority of C-sections are done for sound medical reasons, as in the case of Parsons, who was believed to be 33 weeks along. But doctors do admit medical decisions are sometimes tempered by concerns about malpractice lawsuits."

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Prenatal and perinatal care are complicated areas of medical practice.  Unfortunately, too often negligent care in these areas can led to devastating effects to the child and the mother.  The law firm of Franklin Gray & White represents victims of medical malpractice including cases involving birth injuries and cerebral palsy.  If you are concerned that you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, please contact the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation.

Antibiotics for Preterm Labor Linked to Cerebral Palsy

From the Washington Post, two recent studies have found a link between preterm labor antibiotics and cerebral palsy.  The article states that "not only do antibiotics not help pregnant women experiencing premature labor without ruptured membranes and no sign of infection, they may increase the risk of cerebral palsy in some children."

A doctor interviewed for the article said this about the study, "This is a good study, because it's a large number of patients, and it shows that the use of antibiotics do not help and are possibly harmful for preterm labor in the absence of rupture of the membrane (broken water)."

However, doctors who were interviewed about the study were quick to warn pregnant women not to neccessarily avoid antibiotics though, stating, "We need to reassure pregnant women that, if they have signs of infection and antibiotics are clearly indicated, then they should feel no reluctance to accept antibiotics."

The law firm of Franklin Gray & White has experience litigating cases involving birth injuries and cerebral palsy.  If you are concerned that you or a loved one has experienced a birth injury, please contact the attorneys at Franklin Gray & White for a free consultation. 

BELOW AVERAGE KENTUCKY NURSING HOMES: Is your loved one in nursing home that falls below average?

WE KNOW WHICH KENTUCKY NURSING HOMES FALL BELOW AVERAGE in health inspections, staffing and quality measures. Low ratings in these areas can indicate negligent care which can lead to ABUSE, BED SORES, DEHYDRATION, FALLS and violations of a residents rights. If you believe a loved one has been mistreated in a Kentucky Nursing Home contact Matthew White at mwhite@franklingrayandwhite.com for a FREE CONSULTATION.

Larry Franklin Represents Family In Lawsuit Against Louisville Zoo Over Zoo Train Derailment

On June 9, 2009, attorney Larry Franklin of Franklin Gray & White filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court on behalf of an Indiana couple and their child who were injured in the June 1 train derailment at the Louisville Zoo.

More information to follow as the litigation proceeds.

For media coverage, please see the following:

Zoo Suit Comes From a Real Heavy Hitter

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