{"id":873,"date":"2011-12-16T01:08:03","date_gmt":"2011-12-16T07:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cerebral-palsy-medicalmalpractice.com\/blog\/?p=873"},"modified":"2011-12-16T01:08:03","modified_gmt":"2011-12-16T07:08:03","slug":"first-driver-distraction-now-doctor-distraction-threatens-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerebral-palsy-medicalmalpractice.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/first-driver-distraction-now-doctor-distraction-threatens-lives.html","title":{"rendered":"First Driver Distraction, Now ‘Doctor Distraction,’ Threatens Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Distracted driving had been a hot topic this year, with states and federal officials passing laws banning the use of cellphones and texting by drivers.\u00a0But these devices are now being blamed for causing “distracted doctoring,” with physicians and nurses being accused of paying more attention to their new-media gear than their patients.<\/p>\r\n

The New York Times Thursday outlined the problem\u00a0in a Page One story, where it reported that “some hospitals have begun limiting he use of devices in critical settings, while schools have started reminding medical students to focus on patients instead of gadgets.”<\/p>\r\n

http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/12\/15\/health\/as-doctors-use-more-devices-potential-for-distraction-grows.html<\/a><\/p>\r\n

The Times quoted an official from the University of Rochester Medical Center who was disturbed by the doctors and nurses that he has spotted using iPhones, iPads and computers. That official, Dr. Peter Papadakos,\u00a0authored a recent article on\u00a0“electronic distraction” for\u00a0Anesthesiology News, according to The Times.<\/p>\r\n

Another article in the medical journal Perfusion talked about research that found\u00a0roughly half\u00a0 of the techs who are in charge of bypass machines\u00a0had chatted on their cellphones and texted during heart surgery.<\/p>\r\n

If you believe these fears about doctor distraction are overstated, try this on for size. In Denver a patient\u00a0whose left side became partly\u00a0paralyzed after surgery filed a medical malpractive suit, The Times reported. Guess what the neurosurgeon was doing during the surgery?\u00a0Talking on his cellphone via a wireless headset. The case was settled before trial.<\/p>\r\n

In another eyebrow-raising anecdote,\u00a0a doctor at Yale-New Haven Hospital told The Times that he has seen youthful anesthesiolgists\u00a0in the OR using a compuer during surgery, for tasks such as checking their email.\u00a0In the intensive care unit, this doctor has seen his colleagues\u00a0use computers to shop on Amazon and eBay.<\/p>\r\n

A hospital in Oregon, according to The Times, has made operating rooms “quiet zones”\u00a0that prohibit multi-tasking that isn’t specificaly related to a patient.<\/p>\r\n

As many of the doctors quoted by The Times said,\u00a0computers and iPads are a boon\u00a0that can help prevent errors by giving physicians immediate access to patient records and data.<\/p>\r\n

But the patient must not be neglected while doctors fiddle with these devices during surgery.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Distracted driving had been a hot topic this year, with states and federal officials passing laws banning the use of cellphones and texting by drivers.\u00a0But these devices are now being blamed for causing “distracted doctoring,” with physicians and nurses being accused of paying more attention to their new-media gear than their patients. The New York […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[524,4,525],"class_list":["post-873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-doctor-distraction","tag-medical-malpractice","tag-medical-malpratice-and-doctor-distraction"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t