Expanding Latent Tuberculosis Infection Testing and Treatment in Massachusetts Primary Care Clinics via the ECHO Model.

Introduction/objectives: In the US, reactivation of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) accounts for 80% of new cases. In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task Force provided a new recommendation that primary care providers (PCPs) should conduct LTBI screening, whereas in the past, LTBI cases were evaluated and treated by specialty providers. This shift in care revealed knowledge gaps surrounding LTBI treatment among PCPs.

Legal Implications in the Care of Orthopedic Patients: Serious Complications.

To help reduce potentially devastating outcomes from spinal complications and venous thromboembolism, it is essential for the bedside nurse to have a comprehensive understanding of risk factors and assessments. The orthopedic nurse carries a responsibility for accurately assessing, documenting, and mobilizing the team when abnormal changes occur. Nurses act as patient advocates.

Liability in the care of the elderly.

The most common reasons nursing homes are sued are residents' fractures and pressure ulcers. The majority of cases in a sample of 118 nursing home lawsuits resulted in settlement or a plaintiff winning at trial. The most successful method of defending a lawsuit was to dispute the facts.

Medication errors. A bitter pill.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, over 770,000 hospitalized Americans are injured or die each year from adverse drug events. The scope of the problem is now recognized by governmental and professional agencies. Traditionally, the legal and healthcare systems have focused on identifying incompetent and poorly performing healthcare providers as the cause of patient injury instead of systematically making the system safer.