Bugaboo Baby Strollers

Bugaboo International is recalling both their Cameleon and Donkey strollers, because of risks of choking and injury. In the United States, 46,300 strollers are being recalled.

A button on the stroller’s seat carry handle can become disengaged and cause the handle to detach. Children are put at risk of falling and injuring themselves or choking.

Serial numbers are printed on the stroller's chassis, located under the carrycot/seat.

The Cameleon strollers were sold between Sept. 2009 and June of 2012 and include the following serial numbers: 04011090900001 to 04031101009999, 08011090900001 to 08021100800386, and 140100093600531 to 140103123350418.

The Donkey models were sold between Jan. 2011 and Dec. 2012 and include serial numbers 170101105300001 to 170104130900500.

Consumers can contact Bugaboo at 800-460-2922 for a free replacement handle.

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.
  

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com

Overworked Doctors

According to an article published on Yahoo, some doctors are saying that they care for more hospitalized patients than they can safely handle.

A new study that surveyed about 500 physicians found that 40 percent said that at least once a month, they took on more patients than they could handle.

Because of their heavy workload, about a quarter of doctors say that they aren’t fully able to discuss treatment options with patients and some even ordered unnecessary tests because they didn’t have enough time to examine the patients’ case.

The findings suggest that hospitals need to create standards for safety and evaluate doctors’ workloads. There are limits on how many hours residents and doctors-in-training can work, but there are no such guidelines for higher-level doctors.

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.
  

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com

Fisher-Price Recall

Due to risk of exposure to mold, Fisher-Price is recalling their Newborn Rock ‘n Sleeper. Consumers should immediately inspect the product and stop using it if mold is found.

If the sleeper remains moist or is infrequently cleaned, mold can develop between the removable seat cushion and the hard plastic frame. The mold has been associated with respiratory illness and other infections.

So far, there have been 600 reports on the product and 16 consumers have reported that their infants have been treated for respiratory issues, hives and coughs after sleeping in the product.

Approximately 800,000 sleepers have been recalled, and they were sold in stores nationwide and online since September 2009.

Consumers should immediately check for mold under the removable seat cushion. If mold is found, the product should not be used. Cleaning and care instructions can be found at www.service.mattel.com or by contacting Fisher-Price at (800) 432-5437.

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.
  

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com

Johns Hopkins

According to a report made by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, surgical “never events” are happening at least 4,000 times a year.

Researchers are estimating that a surgeon in the United States is leaving a foreign object, such as a sponge, inside the patient’s body after an operation 39 times a week, operates on the wrong side of the body 20 times a week and performs the wrong procedure on a patient 20 times a week.

The study estimates that 80,000 of these “never events,” which are occurrences that should never happen during surgery, took place in American hospitals during 1990-2010, and these estimates are thought to be on the low side.

The findings of the report come from claims made by past patients through the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), which houses medical malpractice claims. Retained foreign-body, wrong procedure, wrong site and wrong patient surgeries were looked at, which equaled out to 59 percent of temporary injury, 32 percent permanent injury and 6 percent death caused by never events.

Estimates relating to foreign objects being left behind in a patient’s body are considered to be low, because not all items left behind are discovered until a patient begins experiencing complications.

Better systems need to be developed to ensure that these surgical errors cease, as well as better reporting systems to speed up safety efforts.

Many hospitals have taken better precautions, however. Some healthcare workers are using surgical checklists, while others are beginning to use bar codes on instruments and materials to enable precise counts and prevent human error.

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.
  

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com

TeamSTEPPS: Reducing Medical Errors

According to an article published in The Washington Post, preventable medical errors such as hospital acquired infections, surgical missteps and pharmaceutical prescription mistakes cause tens of thousands of patients to die or become harmed every year. And poor communication between healthcare workers is why.   

However, a healthcare provider training system known as TeamSTEPPS has come to light in recent years and has helped eliminate preventable medical harm.  

The Department of Defense Patient Safety Program and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality joined forces about nine years ago and pulled together more than 100 independent experts to help develop tools, strategies and a training system for healthcare professionals working in high-stress situations and also for those in ambulatory care settings.  

The principles are based off research from teams working in high-risk environments, such as the military, aviation and nuclear power. Here, the consequences of making a mistake are huge. The training educates medical teams about human factors that contribute to medical errors, such as team members being too submissive to someone with a higher rank.

Teams are taught four different skill sets: situation monitoring, communication, leadership and mutual support. If, for example, a surgeon is about to operate on the wrong side of a patients’ body, anyone who has information about it should feel comfortable to speak up, no matter the circumstances.  

TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) is available free online, and the curriculum includes assessment, planning, training, implementation and sustainment phases.  

Currently, TeamSTEPPS is being used in all 50 states, and has reached about 25 percent of hospitals in the country.

 

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing patients who have been harmed from hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.  

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com



Hospital Environments

When you read the words “patient safety,” you most likely think of medical errors performed by doctors and nurses. But what about threats linked to facility design and environment? 

In hospitals, patients can be affected by things such as the floors, walls and decorations. 

According to Healthcare Design, decorative fountains and water walls have previously been linked to Legionnaires disease, which is a severe form of pneumonia. Infections in both patients and visitors can be spread if they come in contact with the decorative water fountains. 

Recently, participating hospitals were asked about risks associated with the design of their facilities. 

Reports have determined that even the design of the bathrooms can put people in risk; placement of rail bars, flooring and even the number of people using the bathroom can cause people to fall and injure themselves.  

Patients fell less when there were two grab bars instead of one, if there was only one bathroom per patient and if the flooring was vinyl or ceramic tile.  

Organizational leaders can increase facility-related safety by encouraging staff to report hazardous conditions and by participating in environment-of-care rounds.

 

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At Snyder & Wenner, we strive to keep the community safe when hospital care is involved. We have become patient safety advocates by representing those who have been harmed by hospital error. If you know someone who has been seriously injured from a hospital error, please contact us.

Snyder and Wenner, P.C.

2200 E. Camelback Road

Suite 213

Phoenix, AZ 85016

602-224-0005

www.azmedicalmalpracticelaw.com