Patient Safety is the new buzz word, or buzz words, in the medical profession. Patient Safety, in the 21st century, is now the most important factor doctors, nurses, surgeons, and specialists need to deal with, and preventing hospital based infections is just one of the many problems that are becoming prevalent, but increasingly preventable. Staff are keen to make sure that their institutions provide a safe and calming atmosphere for those that need medical care and new provisions focus around the idea of cleanliness, preventing infections spreading, organisation, and communication. Healthcare-associated infections are have, at times, becoming rife in lesser quality establishments, and one in ten patients acquires a HAI according to the Department of Health.
However, one of the things that hospital staff are now doing to ensure optimum Patient Safety, is education patients about using blood thinners safely, as this has become an issue, with many problems arising from misuse. Patients who have had surgery before often leave the hospital with a new prescription for a blood thinner, such as warfarin (Coumadin), to prevent them from developing dangerous blood clots. However, if misused, drugs such as warfarin can cause uncontrollable bleeding, and are among the top causes of adverse drug effects. Now, hospitals are providing a free 10-minute patient education video and companion 24-page booklet, both in English, to help patients best understand what to expect when taking such medicines, how to take them safely, and what to do if problems occur. The video, entitled, Staying Active and Healthy with Blood Thinners and Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely will be available at all institutions, but a quick search online will also bring up ordering and availability information for all those wishing to take precautions and gain access to such information.
For more information on your safety when in the care of the NHS, visit the Medical Protection Society website.
Your Safety as a Patient of the NHS is Important
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Disease Caused by Asbestos
Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by Steve.
Asbestos is a mineral that gives off a poison, which can cause a large number of fatal diseases in people that have been exposed to it. Over recent years the amount of people making compensation claims as a result of asbestos poisoning has been well documented, as the negative effects of exposure have come to light. Breakthroughs in the last few years have shown the harmful effects that exposure can have, and the diseases that can be caused.
Asbestos chemicals seep into the lungs, and so this is where the most damage is caused. Asbestos related lung diseases are quite common, since the consequences of it were not known in the past. In the nineteen seventies asbestos was used in many objects that were used in the home, for its fire resident qualities. It was also used a lot in workplaces. The diseases are particularly prevalent amongst those who worked in industrial towns and cities around this time.
Asbestos poisoning is known to lead to lung cancer, as well as various other types of cancers. The chance of a person suffering from asbestos poisoning is heightened greatly if the sufferer is already a heavy smoker. Another disease caused by exposure to asbestos is malignant mesothelioma, or cancer of the lung lining. Malignant mesothelioma is almost always fatal, and exposure to asbestos is the only known cause of it. Compensation claims for this disease, since it is fatal, will often end in compensation returns of many hundreds of thousands of pounds. If traces of the condition did not get picked up in the early stages, this compensation could well rise as it would take clinical negligence into account also.
Although the effects of asbestos poisoning are usually concentrated within the lungs, there are other types of cancer that than be caused by it. These cancers include that of the throat, kidney, oesophagus and gall bladder, and can be treated much better than malignant mesothelioma can be at the present time.
Exposure to asbestos is likely to have occurred at work, since the effects were not known until recent years. Because employees have a right to be protected whilst at work, they are therefore well within their rights to sue their employers.
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Asbestos – Why Removing it is Important
Posted on 02. Nov, 2009 by admin.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral compound used in a variety of construction materials, building projects and manufacturing products. It’s extremely strong, durable and highly resistant to heat. Although historical references go back to ancient Greece, asbestos became very common in the construction trades starting in the 1930s. Builders found it was excellent for insulating and fireproofing and worked extremely well in roof shingles and floor tiles. Asbestos fell out of favor when it was discovered that exposure to the long, fibrous particles was a health hazard. It was directly liked to causing numerous respiratory ailments, including asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a big push to remove asbestos from homes, schools, churches, libraries, office buildings and government complexes. Asbestos abatement projects were very common. Asbestos is still found in many older buildings. There are some people who believe the United States totally banned asbestos from any use, but that is not accurate. Federal regulators put restrictions on any new uses of asbestos, but only recommended, and did not require, the removal of asbestos in older structures. However, many states have their own laws on the books requiring asbestos removal because of the health risks. If you find that your house or office has asbestos, what should you do? The best thing is to get it removed as soon as possible. Although it is possible to remove the materials yourself with the appropriate protective equipment and gear, the tricky and hazardous nature of the process really calls for an asbestos abatement professional. This will also help you avoid any potential asbestos compensation lawsuits. Trying to do it yourself could cause a bigger mess and require additional money to clean up. Although it may be a bit costly to hire contractors to rid your home or office of asbestos, the health of your family and loved ones is well worth the price, don’t you think?
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Preparing for a Personal Injury Compensation Claim at Work
Posted on 03. Jun, 2009 by admin.
When an injury happens at work it is important to fill the paperwork and ensure that the proper procedures have been followed to maintain the safety of the employee in every work situation. There are certain steps that an employee can take after suffering from a workplace injury that can help to prevent further complications in case a claim is required.
After an injury has occurred within the workplace there are certain things that the individual that has been injured should ensure are completed to protect themselves in the future. Here are some of the things that the employee should collect to prepare for a compensation claim.
- Ensure that adequate records are kept, aside from those which are kept in the office of the physician and those which are kept with the office of the employer. These records are used as a basis and can be accumulated from diagnostic testing, forms which are filled by both the employer and the physician.
- After all of the information has been gathered it is important to maintain careful records of this information, in a labeled file.
- It is important to recognize the extent of the damage when it comes to the personal injury that has occurred within the workplace. Think about the near future, are you going to be able to keep up with regular scheduling and regular duties, or is the injury going to prevent you from completing these in the future? These are all aspects to think about while determining the extent of the injury which has occurred in the place of employment.
Although it can be impossible to know when an injury in the work place is going to occur, there are many aspects that the employee can take advantage of to ensure they are protected through the entirety of the claim.
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Recordkeeping for Work Related Injuries
Posted on 03. Jun, 2009 by admin.
The importance cannot be underestimated of recording any injury that may occur within the workplace. The moment that an injury occurs within the workplace after the medical care, if required, has been provided to the member of staff, the paperwork should be completed to ensure that the staff member will be covered in the case that a claim is required.
There are often two types of forms that must be filled out by the employee, or by the physician. The employer and employee must fill out a form which will detail the events of the occurrence and allow the employee to sign the report. It is important to include as much information as possible when filling the report to ensure that the event was outlined accurately. This information can be out into the report and therefore allows the patient to obtain a copy. Remember, it is important to maintain adequate records of the events.
The patient should keep a file of the injury that occurred within the workplace including a detailed report of the event, as a statement in the words of the individual employee. It is important to maintain the documentation of all forms and therefore represent these forms within the file that is held by the individual.
Obtaining medical records from the physician and copies of the diagnostic tests that are completed is an important part of the recordkeeping for a work injury claim. This information can be obtained from the physician.
Other records which can be maintained in this file include the information from any witnesses that were at the scene of the injury at the time that it occurred. Having these statements can come in handy in the future and should include the contact information of each witness.
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Informing Your Employer of a Work Related Injury
Posted on 13. May, 2009 by admin.
The moment that an injury occurs within the workplace it is important to notify the employer of an injury. There are multiple ways that this can be completed and multiple reasons that this step must be completed. Informing the employer of an injury within the workplace is one of the first steps that should be taken after an injury has occurred. If immediate medical attention is required, this should be administered first. It can be helpful to have another employee relay the message to the employer, if they are unaware that the accident has occurred.
When speaking to the employer it is important to be direct. It is important to ask about claim forms and reports which must be filled in case of a workplace injury. In the case that these are not offered, it is important to ask. These forms are required by law and should be filled out by the employer the moment that the accident occurs. In the case that the employer refuses such forms, it is important to contact the head office, or higher up. Alternatively, contacting the job standards or employment standards office in your community can yield information about which steps should be taken next.
The employee should get immediate medical examination, depending on the injury that has been suffered from. This medical attention can help to determine the extent of the injury and can also be used as a baseline for the injuries that have occurred due to an accident within the workplace.
After the medical examination has been conducted the doctor or physician can than run the diagnostic tests that can be used as a record of the injury and how the injury pertains to the ailments within the body.
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What to Do If You Are Injured at Work
Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by admin.
In the case that you are injured in the workplace there are many options available that are available to you – although these options dwindle greatly when there has been a lack of paperwork that has been filled out to record the injury within the workplace. For this reason, it is important to know one thing about workplace safety – Every time that you are injured within the workplace the proper forms should be filled out and you should seek medical attention to assess the extent of the injuries, immediately!
Learning to adhere to these practices and encouraging other members of the workplace to adhere to these practices can ensure a safe working environment for everyone. There are many aspects of the workplace that should be adhered to, but these two are the most important and should be in the protocol of every employer that takes employee safety into a high level of consideration in the way that the business is operated.
Seeing a physician is an important part of the process of becoming injured in the workplace. The physician can assess the damage that has been completed and even use diagnostic testing to achieve a result of this damage, such as x-ray. Technology allows physicians to compare these diagnostic tests with earlier studies to assess the damage, if any damage, has been completed. As well, follow up testing can determine if any further damage has been derived from the injury which has occurred in the workplace.
In the case that there is further damage to the injury that may have aggravated the body it is important to note this damage in the case that the individual is unable to work in the future. The cause of the patient being unable to work may have stemmed from the injury which occurred in the workplace and therefore in most cases the individual would be eligible to receive compensation.
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Staying Safe at Work and Avoiding an Injury
Posted on 12. Apr, 2009 by admin.
There are hundreds of unsafe acts which are present in the workplace every single day! Through these unsafe practices there are even more individuals that become injured in the workplace every single year. In order to avoid being one of these statistics of the hundreds and even thousands of individual who are injured within the workplace every single year, it is important to follow proper safety protocols within the workplace that can be used to avoid an injury, these include:
- Staying safe in the workplace can be ensured through the use of proper safety seminars and ensuring that everyone within the workplace is trained for the position that they hold. In the case that you see an individual working a position in which they are not qualified for, it is important to realize that this individual is putting the rest of the workplace at risk – this should be stopped immediately and reported to a superior.
- It is important to ensure that all individuals that are working in an environment that has high risk factors are tested thoroughly and trained about the knowledge and skills which are required to hold this position. This training should be conducted regularly and employees should be re-trained in the case that the information is not being put into use, or put into practice.
- In the event that you are asked to do something within the workplace that you are uncomfortable with or that you feel would violate your personal safety, it is important to remember that you have the right to say no! Saying no could save you from a workplace injury by completing tasks you are unfamiliar with and should avoid.
These actions within the workplace can help you to avoid an injury and should be adhered to at all times to ensure workplace safety.
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Filing a Work Compensation Claim
Posted on 22. Mar, 2009 by admin.
A work related compensation claim can seem like a mountainous pile of paperwork – but it is necessary in the event that you are injured while in the workplace. Filing a work related compensation claim can help to protect you in the future and enable you to
A work compensation claim for an injury that occurred in the workplace helps to protect the employee and ensure that the employee is covered in the event that the injury progresses to the point where the individual is unable to work and sees a loss in income. These claims are often filled through the workplace and can be used to protect the income or the wages of the individual – just in case.
An injury that occurs in a short period of time could have long term affects on the body. For this reason, after an injury in the workplace occurs, it is important to ensure that medical attention is sought and a record is created of the injury that has occurred in the workplace. Any injury that has occurred through work should be dealt with in this manner to protect the rights of the employee.
A work compensation claim can take weeks and even months to achieve, therefore it is important to follow the proper procedure when reporting an injury in the workplace and therefore seek the medical attention which is recommended. Without medical attention and without a detailed examination from a physician it can be difficult to tell what the long term affects of the injury, if any, will be on the body.
With the help of a worker’s compensation board, or with the help of a compensation claim lawyer and the records that have been created, the individual can feel secure that should the need for a work compensation claim arise in the future they will be able to deal with this with ease and follow proper procedures to a successful claim.