- Facilities, not workers, usually targets
by Todd Shields
Malpractice lawsuits landing on the doorsteps
of central service supervisors are rare.
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- Yet, since a much-publicized report by the Institute of Medicine
in late 1999 estimated as many as 98,000 hospital patients die
yearly due to medical errors, some central service professionals
believe they will appear as witnesses in court more often.
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- The key phrase here is "appear as witnesses,"
meaning not defendants.
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- As explained by healthcare attorneys, plaintiffs seek compensation
from people and institutions with money. Few central service
workers have professional malpractice insurance; therefore, they
are not the prosecutorial targets of lawsuits, as opposed to
physicians and, at times, nurses.
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- Still, C. Kay Watson, a central service consultant
based in Houston, believes the Institute of Medicine's study,
"To Err is Human; Building a Safer Health System,"
and a better educated public have increased the chances sterilization
workers will be named in lawsuits as witnesses.
Following the institute's report, President Clinton proposed
regulations to require approximately 6,000 hospitals receiving
Medicare payments to establish error reporting programs. In addition,
a recent Senate bill would provide grants to states and healthcare
associations for training and equipment aimed at reducing medical
mistakes.
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- "In my experience, central service people and others
responsible for sterile processing are getting called to testify.
Nowadays, a more aggressive public asks more questions of the
medical establishment and so do their attorneys," Watson
said.
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