New Jersey Personal Injury Blog

New Jersey residents would generally agree that it is common today to see people everywhere glued to their smartphones or tablets. But medical malpractice concerns can arise when these people are in the middle of performing their jobs - especially when those jobs involve matters of life and death.

Hospitals and medical schools are involved in heavy discussions about this problem, which has been nicknamed "distracted doctoring." University of Rochester Medical Center anesthesiologist and director of critical care Peter J. Papadakos says that what he sees is "not funny" when walking around a hospital. He says he has seen employees at all levels "glued" to their phones and other devices.

A recent birth injury study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology examined the comparative safety of using forceps during delivery. Use of forceps by obstetricians has steadily decreased in recent decades in favor of caesarean sections and deliveries assisted by vacuum devices.

Medical malpractice cases can arise out of a many different kinds of health care provider negligence. One of the more common malpractice claims seen by Ridgewood medical negligence lawyers is injury caused by failure to diagnose a patient's cancer or other serious illness in a timely fashion.

Anyone who has ever watched a late night infomercial knows there are many products being sold that people really don't need. It might be surprising to learn, however, that many of the tests and prescriptions ordered by medical doctors are just as unnecessary.

Doctors order tests and prescription medication all the time, and according to an article in the "Archives of Internal Medicine," a little over 75 percent of doctors admitted to "treating patients more aggressively" because they are afraid of being sued.

Loss of bone density and osteoporosis are a serious concern for women, especially as they age. Weakened bones can lead to bone fractures, especially in the hip or spine, which can cause difficult recoveries or even disability. Some women have begun taking precautionary measures to prevent or treat osteoporosis, but new concerns are emerging over a class of drugs known as bisphosponates that may cause the very injuries they are designed to prevent.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says the anti-fungal drug Fluconazole can cause birth defects when taken in large doses during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Fluconazole, which also goes by the brand name Diflucan, is often given to chemotherapy patients and those preparing to undergo bone marrow transplants to combat fungi that sometimes plague patients once their immune systems are compromised by other medicines.

Cancer is second-only to heart disease-as one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Unfortunately, some treatment protocols may be as dangerous as the disease if they are not properly administered. This reality was brought to light by a recent Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) study published in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology."

On August 1st, the reputable journal published findings from the CUMC team in which more than 21,000 Medicare beneficiaries' records were analyzed. Reviewing data from 1995 to 2005, study subjects consisted of patients who were aged 65 and older, diagnosed with either breast, lung or colon cancer, and had at least one erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) and chemotherapy benefits claim.

Breast cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in the United States. One of the leading weapons in the fight against breast cancer is mammography. Recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued new mammogram screening guidelines. While the guidance may be seen by many as a clear direction on treatment, it has only added to the confusion about the true effectiveness of screening protocol.

For many years, patients who received a cancer diagnosis faced long odds against survival. While much advancement has been made in the treatment of certain cancers, research continues in an effort to find more effective methods. With more aggressive cancers, patients may seek out alternative treatment plans to increase their chance of beating the disease.

For young doctors, one of the rights of passage is working long shifts during their residencies. Having to spend days at a time at the hospital trained student doctors how to prepare for their future careers. Students would need to find time to catch a quick nap, and learn how to work when they had little time to rest.

While the shifts may be physically demanding, it allowed student doctors to get an opportunity to see several different types of injuries and illnesses. Having had the chance to both participate and observe in the treatment plans for a wide range of conditions allowed student doctors to be ready when they faced these issues on their own.