Ohio Personal Injury Law Blog

American doctors began research studies in the 1980s that were driven by reports of female traumatic brain injury patients recovering better and more quickly from their injuries than males suffering from similar conditions.

A new study involving more than 100 hospitals across the globe spells the next-generation effort in discovering why that might be true, and researchers are guardedly optimistic over the outcome.

For one Army reservist, the maroon Mustang that was so much fun to drive around town became a fearful necessity after a combat tour in Iraq. Suddenly, the soldier found herself straddling the middle of roads to avoid roadside bombs and avoiding congested areas without well-defined escape routes.

Traumatic brain injury experts note that the soldier's experiences are not unique. Thousands of veterans returning from service in the Middle East, including Ohio service members, are experiencing similar post-traumatic issues. These struggles while driving are being diagnosed as a symptom of a traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Estimates from diverse sources nationally generally converge on a figure of between six and seven percent for the instances of birth injury that occur per every 1,000 babies born in the United States.

Birth injuries in Ohio and everywhere else are obviously stressful and dramatic, and sometimes life-altering in the extreme. Sometimes what happened couldn't have been avoided. On other occasions, though, medical error alone is responsible for the harm that visits an infant during birth.

A recently issued government report states that, despite a duty to track medical errors, note side effects and take remedial actions as a prerequisite to receive Medicare payments, most hospitals rarely follow through. In other words, they seldom report patient harms or take responsible actions to prevent their reoccurrence.

The report, issued last week, was published under the aegis of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It cites a litany of medical malpractice woes in hospitals across the country, including patients suffering from facility-acquired infections, being prescribed medications inappropriately and in the wrong doses, and suffering from a number of other wide-ranging adverse events.

A recent study revealed more than 80 percent of doctors are now using smart phones, iPads or other computer tablets even as they perform intricate medical procedures. These distractions could lead to physical consequences for patients and additional medical malpractice lawsuits for doctors.

The study, published in the August 2011 issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research, stated that the devices are raising concerns for patient safety with doctors and patients nationwide, including Ohio. Physicians are interrupted about five times per hour by emails, phone calls or other distractions.

Eugene Litvak used to be a Soviet industrial engineer immersed in schematics and processes seeking to ensure maximum efficiency in the workplace.

Now he is a Harvard university professor focused on doing the same thing in hospital emergency rooms in the United States.

Litvak and others like him are in high demand, given the frenetic nature and flow of ER daily realities. In a word, ERs are busy.

And that makes for both inefficiencies and mistakes. The latter include medication errors, surgical mishaps and other problem results that flow directly from patient overcrowding and inefficiently staffed caregivers who are often under extreme pressures.

A high school boy's first game with the varsity football team was supposed to be a day to celebrate. But one hard hit suffered during a routine play put the boy in a coma and sent him to the hospital.

Two days later, he died. Traumatic brain injury experts point out that the incident is a reminder of the risks associated with playing aggressive contact sports like football. Concussions and other head injuries are unfortunate hazards that come with playing the game, and incidents that aren't handled property can have life-ending consequences.

A standard litany of medical malpractice errors -- such as misdiagnosis of an illness, surgical mistakes and errors in medications prescribed to patients -- clearly contributes to the overall "state of health" of Ohioans, and health officials and state regulators are ever focused on improving impediments in the health care system that undermine patient care.

According to a recent national study, there is a long way to go.