Perspectives

Infections in long-term care (LTC) facilities are associated with higher rates of morbidity, mortality, rehospitalization, extended hospital stays, and substantial expense. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections seen in LTC facilities. For these reasons, many medical malpractice lawsuits involve patients who were treated for an infection of some kind. [More]

Falls are an enormous issue in long-term care facilities, and are often at the heart of lawsuits against care providers. The medical record is a crucial tool for the defense as it pieces together a timeline of what happened before, during and after a fall. It is imperative to document all of the steps the provider took to demonstrate its awareness of the resident’s fall risk, attempts to prevent them from falling, and response when a fall does happen. [More]

Falls are an enormous issue in long-term care facilities, and are often at the heart of lawsuits against care providers. The medical record is crucial to the defense when piecing together a timeline of what happened—including all the steps the care team took to demonstrate awareness of the patient’s fall risk and attempts to prevent the patient or resident from falling. [More]

There are a variety of skin ulcers. Most people know a bit about decubitus ulcers or pressure sores, also known as bed sores. Kennedy Terminal Ulcers (KTUs), another type of pressure sore, occur at the end of life. But, there are several other types of ulcers that are non-pressure-related, including venous stasis ulcers, arterial ulcers, and neurotrophic (diabetic) ulcers. In this post, we will cover neurotrophic, or diabetic, ulcers. [More]

There are a variety of skin ulcers. Most people are somewhat familiar with decubitus ulcers, more commonly known as pressure sores (and also sometimes called bedsores). Kennedy Terminal Ulcers (KTUs), another type of pressure sore, occur at the end of life. There are several other types of ulcers that are non-pressure-related, including venous stasis ulcers, arterial ulcers, and neurotrophic (diabetic) ulcers. In this post will cover venous stasis ulcers. [More]