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What was the highest proportion of eye injury visits to the ER for 10-24 year-olds?
Which household product was NOT mentioned as a common cause of eye injuries?
What can be absorbed quickly into the blood vessels close to the eye's surface, causing severe damage or blindness?
Who are the patients at greatest risk of eye injury according to the text?
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What is crucial for optometrists to assess when prescribing glasses?
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Which age group had the highest proportion of eye injury visits to the ER due to household items?
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What is the optometrist's role in eye injury prevention according to the text?
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What is crucial for optometrists to assess in every case history?
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What are the legal responsibilities in eye injury prevention for optometrists according to the text?
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What was among the top activities causing sports-related eye injuries for both children and adults in 2019?
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What can cause trauma from sharp objects according to the text?
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In Case Scenario 1, what Rx material would you order for John, a healthy 26-year old accountant with an Rx of OD +2.50sph OS +3.50sph?
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In Case Scenario 2, what Rx material would you order for John, a healthy 26-year old accountant with hobbies including computer gaming and cooking, and an Rx of OD +2.50sph OS +3.50sph?
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In Case Scenario 3, what Rx material would you order for John, a healthy 26-year old accountant with hobbies including computer gaming, cooking, and fishing, and an Rx of OD +2.50sph OS +3.50sph?
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In Case Scenario 4, what Rx material would you order for John, a healthy 26-year old accountant with hobbies including computer gaming, cooking, fishing, and yardwork, and an Rx of OD +2.50sph OS +3.50sph?
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What is the typical timeframe for trials to occur after a complaint is filed in medical malpractice litigation?
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What percentage of medical malpractice claims had documentation issues, with a majority being insufficient or lacking information?
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What is the main player in the event of a medical malpractice claim being filed?
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What is the typical timeframe for a patient to sue in the event of a lawsuit?
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What does a settlement in a medical malpractice case admit?
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What is the advice given regarding the demeanor of doctors to reduce the likelihood of being sued?
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What is the percentage of medical malpractice claims with insufficient or lacking information?
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What is the typical timeframe for the insurance company to process a filed claim?
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What are the important points to document in patient files according to the text?
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What is the cost of prevailing in court according to the text?
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What is the advice given regarding communication in the context of medical malpractice litigation?
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What is the advice given in terms of seeking legal advice in medical malpractice cases?
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What is medical malpractice defined as?
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What is the primary reason for optometrists to be aware of the standard of care in optometry?
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According to Chris Mazzolini from Medical Economics Journal, what percentage of physicians will face a malpractice suit at some point in their career?
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What is recommended for examining contact lens patients to minimize malpractice risks?
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What must prescribers do to confirm that a patient received their prescription, according to the AOA (June 2020)?
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What is recommended to avoid malpractice claims according to the text?
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What is crucial to document, according to the text, to serve as evidence of work and defense?
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What is the advice given to optometrists to reduce the likelihood of being sued?
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What is the legal requirement regarding the confirmation of prescription release, according to the AOA (June 2020)?
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What is important for optometrists to do when examining contact lens patients to minimize malpractice risks?
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What must optometrists discuss with patients before starting any treatment?
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What can optometrists be liable for if informed consent is not obtained?
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What is the responsibility of optometrists in co-management relations with ophthalmologists?
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What are common causes of malpractice claims in optometry?
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What was the impact of the case Helling v. Carey on the standard of care in optometry?
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What can optometrists be held liable for in case of patient injury?
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What is required before initiating any procedure according to the professional community rule?
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What may lead to liability under negligence if not adequately performed?
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What is involved in co-management relations between optometrists and ophthalmologists?
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What is the responsibility of optometrists in case of delayed referrals resulting in eye loss?
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What are examples of malpractice cases in optometry?
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What did the case Helling v. Carey involve?
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What did the appellate level federal court establish as a new standard for routine eye exams?
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What did the doctor advise for the teenager with reduced vision during the initial visit?
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What was the reason for the optometrist being sued for malpractice?
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What type of testimony may ophthalmologists provide in optometric malpractice cases?
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What was the median optometrist malpractice payment reported nationally?
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In what situation is it recommended to perform automated visual fields?
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What did the doctor find during the dilated fundus exam for the teenager with reduced vision?
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What was the outcome of the malpractice case against the optometrist?
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What is the role of ophthalmologists in optometric malpractice cases?
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What did the federal panel determine the doctor should've performed during the routine eye exam for Karen Keir?
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What was the recommendation regarding routine eye exams after the precedent-setting case involving Karen Keir?
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What did the teenager with reduced vision later get diagnosed with?
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What does negligence refer to in the context of optometry?
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What does the term 'duty' refer to in the legal responsibilities of optometrists?
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What is the definition of criminal negligence in the context of optometry?
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What is the primary factor contributing to medical errors in optometry?
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What is the definition of 'damage' in medical negligence cases?
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What defines the standard of care for optometrists?
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What does causation under negligence encompass?
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What constitutes the competency of an optometrist?
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What is the definition of 'assault' in the context of optometry?
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What is the legal responsibility of optometrists to ensure patient safety and avoid negligence?
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What is the consequence of breach of the standard of care by an optometrist?
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What is the definition of 'battery' in the context of optometry?
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Study Notes
Eye Injury Prevention and Optometrist's Role
- In 2014, over 193,000 adults and children were treated for home-related eye injuries in the US, with a third of injuries occurring in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, or family room.
- Highest proportion of eye injury visits to ER: Chemicals for ages 0-4 years, and > 65, household items in 5-9 year-olds, sports products in 10-24 year-olds, cutting and construction tools in 25-64 year-olds.
- Sports-related eye injuries by age in 2019: Basketball, pools & water sports, non-powder guns, darts, arrows, slingshots, and bicycles were among the top activities causing injuries for both children and adults.
- Common household products causing eye injuries include oven cleaners, glue, disinfectants, hair sprays, and cooking foods that can splatter hot grease or oil.
- Other sources of injuries at home include lawn mowers, car repair, DIY activities, yard work, champagne corks, trauma from sharp objects, using hot objects around the face, and pesticides.
- Pesticides can be absorbed quickly into the blood vessels close to the eye's surface, causing severe damage or blindness.
- Patients at greatest risk of eye injury include children, one-eyed patients, amblyopes, and those with developing eye disease or weakened eyes from previous surgery or trauma.
- The optometrist's role includes assessing risk, advising, and educating patients on potential eye injury risks and prescribing appropriate appliances to minimize risk.
- It is crucial for optometrists to assess patients' visual demands at work, home, and elsewhere by asking about their activities and locations, as part of every case history.
- Optometrists have a professional responsibility to assess risk, provide counseling, and advise patients on potential risks, particularly for those at higher risk such as amblyopes or post-LASIK patients.
- Legal responsibilities in eye injury prevention include establishing a doctor-patient relationship, adhering to reasonable standards of care, ensuring the patient's injury is causally linked to the care provided, and addressing potential damages.
- When prescribing glasses, understanding how patients intend to use their spectacles is crucial, especially considering factors like monocular vision, previous eye injuries, significant eye diseases, thin corneas, and risk of falls.
Eye Injury Prevention and Optometrist's Role
- In 2014, over 193,000 adults and children were treated for home-related eye injuries in the US, with a third of injuries occurring in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, or family room.
- Highest proportion of eye injury visits to ER: Chemicals for ages 0-4 years, and > 65, household items in 5-9 year-olds, sports products in 10-24 year-olds, cutting and construction tools in 25-64 year-olds.
- Sports-related eye injuries by age in 2019: Basketball, pools & water sports, non-powder guns, darts, arrows, slingshots, and bicycles were among the top activities causing injuries for both children and adults.
- Common household products causing eye injuries include oven cleaners, glue, disinfectants, hair sprays, and cooking foods that can splatter hot grease or oil.
- Other sources of injuries at home include lawn mowers, car repair, DIY activities, yard work, champagne corks, trauma from sharp objects, using hot objects around the face, and pesticides.
- Pesticides can be absorbed quickly into the blood vessels close to the eye's surface, causing severe damage or blindness.
- Patients at greatest risk of eye injury include children, one-eyed patients, amblyopes, and those with developing eye disease or weakened eyes from previous surgery or trauma.
- The optometrist's role includes assessing risk, advising, and educating patients on potential eye injury risks and prescribing appropriate appliances to minimize risk.
- It is crucial for optometrists to assess patients' visual demands at work, home, and elsewhere by asking about their activities and locations, as part of every case history.
- Optometrists have a professional responsibility to assess risk, provide counseling, and advise patients on potential risks, particularly for those at higher risk such as amblyopes or post-LASIK patients.
- Legal responsibilities in eye injury prevention include establishing a doctor-patient relationship, adhering to reasonable standards of care, ensuring the patient's injury is causally linked to the care provided, and addressing potential damages.
- When prescribing glasses, understanding how patients intend to use their spectacles is crucial, especially considering factors like monocular vision, previous eye injuries, significant eye diseases, thin corneas, and risk of falls.
Medical Malpractice Litigation and Documentation Best Practices
- Proper documentation is crucial in litigation, as "if it is not written as part of the patient's record, it did not happen."
- Trials usually occur 3-5 years after a complaint is filed, and with the statute of limitations, it could be 6-8 years after the patient’s injury.
- Missing important facts in patient files can lead to challenges in accurately recalling conversations with the plaintiff and their responses under oath.
- Important points to document include diagnosis, treatment options, treatment plan, risks and benefits, prognosis, patient response, follow-up measures, and phone calls with patients and other doctors.
- 1 in 5 medical malpractice claims had documentation issues, with 70% of those being insufficient or lacking information.
- If a claim is filed, the insurance company is the main player, and it is usually denied. The timeframe for this process is 6 months to 1 year.
- In the event of a lawsuit, the timeframe for a patient to sue is approximately 2-3 years from the injury, varying by state.
- In the case of a settlement, it does not admit malpractice, guilt, or risk of excess financial responsibility. The timeframe for trial is 3-5 years from the filing of the complaint.
- There are examples of significant settlements in cases involving eye injuries, such as $16 million for a 14-year-old blinded in one eye and $8.5 million for a teacher who lost vision in one eye.
- Key takeaways include understanding patients' needs, communicating clearly, seeking legal advice when unsure, and emphasizing eye safety, given the 2.5 million preventable eye injuries in the USA annually.
- The cost of prevailing in court includes extensive time and effort, including reviewing files, preparation for depositions, and time away from work and family.
- Nice doctors are sued less, and it is advised to be nice and maintain a professional demeanor.
Impact of Malpractice Cases on Optometric Standards of Care
- Precedent-setting case involving Karen Keir, age 4, established new standard for routine eye exams
- Federal panel determined doctor should've performed dilated fundus examination using binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy
- Appellate level federal court created new standard requiring dilation on nearly every patient
- 13-year-old girl presented with blurred vision, history of amblyopia in the family
- Doctor performed dilated fundus exam, found normal discs and macula, advised glasses wouldn't correct the condition
- Teenager returned after a year with reduced vision, later diagnosed with a large brain tumor
- Optometrist sued for malpractice, found culpable, and awarded $9.2 million
- Teenager had normal vision on previous screenings and experts testified tumor could've been treated a year earlier
- Recommendation to perform automated visual fields when VA isn't correctable to 20/20 and fundus exam is normal
- Ophthalmologists may not provide standard of care opinion testimony against optometrists
- Ophthalmologists may testify about causation and failure-to-refer cases in optometric malpractice cases
- A total of 609 optometrist malpractice payments reported nationally, ranging from $50 to $2,050,000, with a median of $57,500
Understanding Medical Malpractice and Legal Responsibilities of Optometrists
- Misdiagnosis and failure to refer are common factors in malpractice cases.
- Medical errors can be errors of omission (not taking necessary actions) or errors of commission (taking the wrong action).
- Negligence is when an optometrist fails to exercise the standard of care, and duty refers to the obligation of an optometrist to provide care adhering to the standard of care.
- Competency of an optometrist consists of knowledge and ability, and breach is the failure to conform to the standard of care.
- Standard of care is usually defined by state laws or regulations established in case law.
- Causation under negligence can be direct (optometrist's action directly harms the patient) or indirect (optometrist is liable for the foreseeable consequences of their action or inaction).
- Damage in medical negligence cases can be economic (medical costs, lost wages) or noneconomic (pain, suffering, loss of consortium) and leads to monetary remedy for injured patients in civil courts.
- Criminal negligence includes conscious, voluntary, and reckless actions or inactions, such as insurance fraud or HIPAA violations.
- A sample case of negligence involves an optometrist prescribing glasses without rechecking the prescription, leading to a patient's injury.
- Assault is the intentional placing of a patient in reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or offensive touching without consent, and battery is a harmful or offensive touching without permission, which can lead to civil lawsuits.
- Optometrists have legal responsibilities to adhere to the standard of care, recheck prescriptions, and ensure patient safety to avoid negligence and legal consequences.
- Understanding the legal responsibilities and potential liabilities is crucial for optometrists to provide quality care and avoid malpractice.
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Description
Test your knowledge on eye injury prevention and the important role of optometrists in assessing and advising patients on potential risks. Learn about common causes of eye injuries at home, in sports, and in various activities, and understand the optometrist's legal and professional responsibilities in preventing eye injuries.
