restorARTively

Read here: http://www.litigationandtrial.com/ My son James died as a result of multiple preventable errors and negligent care in the Fall of 2001 at Nemours Cardiac Center in Delaware. The same hospital where 2 years after James' death his surgeon was escorted out of the hospital by federal marshalls. http://www2.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/05/pdf/norwoodsuit.pdf%20- ; www.phillymag.com/home/articles/did_dr_norwood_go_too_far_part_two/ Without Mr. Beasley's willingness for his firm to take my son's case I still would not know what happened. Nor would I have been able to write the above paragraph. I had left the hospital but once for a couple of hours during my son's 11 day stay with Nemours. Yet, I knew very very little about what had actually happened to him while there. After his death when I had alot of extra time on my hands unexpectedly, I reached out to the hospital immediately to get every piece of paper that his name on it and to learn whatever I ...

I went to a movie this evening. As busy as I am there was little time to research which to attend beyond finding one at the most convenient theater at the most convenient time. Believe it or not, I have still not learned that convenience is not the best way to make decisions. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons is my inspiration for tonight's post. The civil trial in Delaware Superior court of Mannix v. Nemours, et al ended on a cold, wet, gray Fall day in October 2005. It was much like any other Fall day for most. People were busy looking for umbrellas and the right combination of clothing to stay warm, dry, and appealing for whatever their station in life may have been. For my husband and I it was the day of the verdict. It was the Friday before Columbus Day and for those of the Jewish faith it was also amidst Rosh Hashanah. Maybe it if hadn't been the Jewish holiday our key witness would have ben able to testify in court instead via video. If Pennsylvania hadn't changed...

At the outset of my Fall Research and Statistics in Retsortaive Practices coursework, the intelligence of my trust in the physician-defendant in my son’s case (with whom I began a unique post-verdict dialogue) came into doubt by national leaders in patient safety, as well as by a couple trusted peers and confidants. It was the first time I had ever thought to question the doctor’s “story” and his explanations of his actions and decisions that fateful October evening. Just weeks previous I shared a piece of our post-verdict reconciliation to an international audience of healthcare leaders at Harvard University (Krukenkamp & Mannix, 2008). Afterwards, a few questioned the validity of my words, my story as well as who the mysterious doc must be since I did not reveal his name. I have never revealed the name since the doctor expressed an interest in remaining a quiet supporter of my attempts to reconcile the patient – physician relationship post-adverse event. However, for those tru...

This is copywrighted material. No reproduction in whole or in part may be reprinted without express, written permission from the author. Introduction In a response to medical malpractice crisis in 2001, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority was created through legislation as a result of these concerns there is new data to study. There are 300,000 to 400,000 “sentinel event” (an outcome of treatment that is unexpected and has left the patient preventably injured or deceased) reports in the state each year (Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, 2007). It is widely accepted amongst stakeholders there is underreporting and misunderstanding as to what classifies as a reportable “sentinel event”. Hospital acquired infection, wrong site surgery, ventilator-induced pneumothorax are a few examples that have been identified by government agencies (Agency or Healthcare Research and Quality) as preventable and sentinel events. It appears much concern is driven by medical malpract...

"So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over And a new one just begun And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear one The old and the young " ~John Lennon, Happy Christmas The second Sunday of December has been tagged by grieving parents as the one to remember our lost children. We light a candle at 7 PM. I am not certain how long this has been an event; but this is my eighth year performing the ritual. I am not sure who decided to make it December; but I haven't been able to sing Silent Night without crying for eight Christmases. I don't think many others remember my son throughout the year; but this day gives me permission to remind them its a gift when they say his name, "James". I don't know exactly how many children have died from preventable medical errors; but there are as many as 277 patients a day that die from preventable medical error. I can't imagine how Pennsylvania physicians manage to pay their ...

Learning comes from listening. “You have one mouth and two ears,” is a Maori (New Zealand) saying my peers shared during a Restorative Practices graduate course. I keep that in mind while adding - I have two eyes and one dominant hand. After six weeks of graduate level study, I feel most aware of many inadequacies, shortcomings and talents not fully saddled. The discussion of concepts, ideas and life experiences shared by my classmates was a key component in my overall learning experience. Who'd of thought a young, handsome, intelligent man would be the one in a mixed group to refuse to reveal his age? As I excitedly turned 40 this month, this young man, Joe, a new classmate in grad school, was holding back. He had good reason. He learned the hard way early that when people know his age, automatically a certain set of expectations and judgments are cast upon him, his abilities and his intentions. Who wants to be placed in such an unforgiving box? I try to follow a similar ...