Journal of healthcare risk management : the journal of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management
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J Healthc Risk Manag · Jul 2017
ReviewMultimodal analgesia as an alternative to the risks of opioid monotherapy in surgical pain management.
Clinicians have long been aware of the danger of overreliance on opioids to manage acute pain, such as the pain accompanying surgery. The risk of adverse drug events is higher with opioids than with any other common class of drugs. Overreliance on opioids increases length of stay and hospital costs, while decreasing patient satisfaction. ⋯ Accordingly, multimodal analgesia is recommended as best practice by most recognized authorities. Increasingly, governmental authorities hold prescribing clinicians and institutions legally liable for the downstream negative effects of opioids, including abuse and addiction. Addressing this issue should be a top priority for hospital risk managers.
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J Healthc Risk Manag · Jan 2012
ReviewRisk management and legal issues with the use of social media in the healthcare setting.
Social media have infiltrated all of our lives, both personally and professionally. Most of us could never have envisioned the impact that social media have had on us, particularly in the healthcare arena. Who would have thought even five years ago that a discussion on the ASHRM exchange would involve the use of Twitter in the operating room or that a physician would be reprimanded by a state medical board and have her privileges revoked due to posting information online about a trauma patient? In the coming years, social media use will only increase, causing concern for risk managers across the continuum. Furthermore, although case law and statutory regulations addressing the use of social media are minimal today, it is anticipated that we will see legal challenges to this evolving medium in the future.
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Pediatric risk is both unique and volatile. Children are more vulnerable when treated in any healthcare environment, but especially in the acute care setting. Children with chronic healthcare conditions are more challenging to treat and more susceptible to medical errors. ⋯ The unique factors of pediatric care that create increased risk are also reviewed. Low frequency/high severity claims involving children are discussed in detail as well as physician claims in the specialty of general pediatrics. Risk management solutions for pediatric issues are proposed.