pharmacist and physician errors
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | MEDICAL MALPRACTICE |

Primum non Nocere – Pharmacist and Physician Errors

pharmacist physician errorsWhen you go to visit your doctor, you hope to feel better and be healthier when you leave than before you made the trip. And when you go to the pharmacy to get medicine prescribed by the doctor, you have similar expectations. But that’s not always the case.

The phrase “do no harm” comes from the Latin primum non nocere and is believed to be the basis for a portion of the Hippocratic Oath, which includes a promise made by physicians to “abstain from doing harm.” Non-maleficence, which is derived from the maxim, is one of the principal precepts of bioethics that all healthcare students are taught in school and is a fundamental principle throughout the world. Another way to state it is that, “given an existing problem, it may be better not to do something, or even to do nothing, than to risk causing more harm than good.” It reminds the health care provider that they must consider the possible harm that any intervention might do. It is invoked when debating the use of an intervention that carries an obvious risk of harm but a less certain chance of benefit.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Attorney Reviews

The Importance of Attorney Reviews by Clients

We remember a restaurant critic in south Florida by the name of Robert Tolf, who reviewed restaurants all over Florida for the Sun-Sentinelattorney reviews newspaper and Florida Trend Magazine for many years. Mr. Tolf’s reviews were a must-read before visiting a new place to eat because they were well-written and very accurate. His writing was so detailed you could almost taste the food as he described it’s flavor, smell, and texture. He detailed the quality of service, the cleanliness, and ambiance so you had a good idea what you were in for before you made the commitment to spend a lot of money on a gourmet meal. Mr. Tolf also wrote several books about history and he passed away in 2015.

Today, everyone is a critic! Reviews are on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and dozens of other internet sources where ratings range from “the best ever” to “not fit for my dog to eat!” Reviews are great, but in order to be credible the source should be honest, knowledgeable about the subject, and have no bias. We know a restaurant owner who was “barbecued” by someone who had just broken up with one of his servers. A lovers spat resulted in an undeserved one-star rating on Yelp, and it’s difficult to work your way back to a good overall rating after one of those.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Motorcycle Accident Attorney | , , ,

Florida Helmet Law (or Lack of One) Under Fire

After much debate, the law requiring motorcyclists to wear a helmet in Florida was repealed in 2000. Since that time, motorcycle deaths have steadily increased. Between 2000 and 2008, there were 3,716 motorcyclists and their passengers killed in traffic crashes, an average of 413 per year or over one per day. In 2008, motorcycle fatalities dropped from the previous year by 3.4 percent representing 17.8 percent of all fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

florida helmet lawIn 2015, there were 606 deaths attributed to motorcycle crashes in Florida. By county, Miami-Dade had the highest number, 67. The increase in number of deaths may be slightly related to the increase in the number of people residing in and visiting Florida, but clearly the increase in number of deaths exceeds the increase in population (by percent) and many people are calling for the helmet law to be reinstated.

Here’s why: Florida leads the nation in motorcycle crash fatalities. While motorcycles accounted for only 3 percent of all registered vehicles in our state, motorcyclists constituted 20 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities. A recent study found that about 50% of Florida motorcyclists wear helmets even though they are not required to do so. In states (19) where helmets are require.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Prescription Errors

Caution: OTC Pain Relievers Sometimes Mix Poorly with Other Meds – Pharmacy Errors

Here is an all-too-common scenario in the world today: A healthy person does to the doctor for a check-up and the doctor finds his or her pharmacy errorsblood pressure is a little high, so a medication is prescribed. The person then goes to a dermatologist for a rash and another medication is recommended. Then the patient is prescribed an antibiotic after a dental procedure, and so on. The patient tells the pharmacist about all three meds but doesn’t mention the 6 to 10 ibuprofen capsules taken every day because of a sore back. This is a prescription for danger.

It’s a pharmacist’s responsibility to check what other meds a patient is taking by looking what else is in the computer, and certainly your physician should be aware of all medications you are taking. They should also know if you are taking over-the-counter pain relievers, especially if you take more than recommended on the label.

Coumadin is a common blood-thinner prescribed often, but it should never be taken at the same time as aspirin. This has been a fatal combination in many cases, and ibuprofen is also not to be taken with the drug, also known as warfarin. Supplements are another yellow flag for people taking prescription medications. Because the ingredients in supplements are not always apparent, it’s best to do some research before taking them at the same time as prescribed medication.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Florida Personal Injury Attorney | , ,

Stay Safe and Healthy, Live Longer!

 

We discussed the leading causes of death in an earlier blog post, and covered 5 of the top 10. This time we’re covering 6 through 10 and we’llstay safe and healthy talk a bit more about how to stay safe and healthy!

6 – Alzheimer’s Disease

Dementia is an overall term for diseases and conditions characterized by a decline in cognitive function that affects a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s is vascular-related and is just one type of dementia. Dementia is caused by damage to nerve cells in the brain. As a result of the damage, neurons can no longer function normally and may die. This, in turn, can lead to changes in memory, behavior, and the ability to think clearly.

Avoidance may not be possible at this point, but healthy lifestyle choices may delay Alzheimer’s: no smoking, healthy foods, and stay mentally alert. The Alzheimer’s Foundation website has a lot of helpful information.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS | , ,

More Common Causes of Motorcycle Accidents and Tips to Avoid Them

We covered the first 5 of 10 common causes of motorcycle accidents, and we’ll continue in this post. One thing we have learned is that each attorney - fort lauderdale motorcycle accidentsmotorcyclist has their own style of riding, as well as their own philosophy on how to avoid accidents. We encourage every rider to take regular safety classes to stay fresh on different techniques, rules, regulations, and safety equipment.

6 – Your Riding Partner Does Something Stupid

How to Avoid: Riding alone is fun, but riding in groups is more fun for a lot of motorcyclists. Riding is groups can be very dangerous however if everyone isn’t on the same page. Before you go out on a ride discuss group riding etiquette and ride in a staggered formation. It’s best to ride only with experienced riders when you’re traveling in a group. Inexperienced riders should probably stay in the rear while they watch and learn.

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Attorney - South Florida Boating Accidents
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | BOATING ACCIDENTS | , ,

South Florida Boating Accidents – Spring Break 2017

south florida boating accidentsSouth Florida has been one of the major locations for recreational boating for decades. There is some debate about who actually coined the phrase “Venice of America” for Fort Lauderdale, but with 165 miles of waterway, it certainly is appropriate.

Boating is a year-round passion in Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, with a combined 165,000 recreational vessels registered. When Spring Break rolls around, that’s usually one of the busiest times for traffic offshore and on the inland waterways. Not unexpectedly, accidents increase.

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Florida Personal Injury Attorney
| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | Florida Accident Attorney

Ten Leading Causes of Death – Know Them and Avoid Them

Most people want to live as long as possible and while they are living they hope to enjoy a productive, harmonious, healthy existence with family and friends. Death is a subject most people don’t even want to think about. But since the number of people who have avoided death since the beginning of time is zero, it’s not likely you or I will be break that string of inevitable mortality. Let’s examine how people die, why a lot of people die before they should, and how we might avoid an early exit. The current life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.7 years, so let’s all get there, and more!

The top 10 causes of death in the U.S. are:

Heart Disease
Cancer (malignant neoplasms)
Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
Accidents (unintentional injuries)
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases)
Alzheimer’s Disease
Diabetes
Influenza and Pneumonia
Kidney Disease (nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis)
Suicide

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS | ,

Florida PIP May be Going Away

This is a busy legislative session in Tallahassee, and one of the issues being considered will effect every Florida driver. The $10,000 “no-fault”Florida PIP Florida PIP requirement that has been in place for many years may be ending in favor of new requirements for $25,000 bodily injury and $50,000 per incident coverage.

When you consider the enormous increase in medical expenses over the years, $10,000 really doesn’t cover much if a victim has sustained serious injuries. Florida’s PIP law has long been blamed for insurance fraud. It’s been revised several times since 2000 to try to curb “bad faith claims.” But those reforms have also restricted coverage. Florida PIP was created in 1971 as a way to reduce lawsuits over traffic lawsuits.

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| Arleen Lazarus | 0 Comments | AUTO ACCIDENTS | ,

Tips to Avoid Being in a Rear End Accident

 

rear end accident attorneys

Two horrible rear-end vehicle accidents in Florida ended the young lives of four young women recently, leaving family and friends searching for answers about how and why these tragedies occurred. Two women from the University of Florida were killed when their car was rear ended in Okeechobee County on March 5th, and two Weston women who were students at FSU were killed on the Florida Turnpike last week, also in a rear end accident.

Most people think there’s nothing you can do to avoid, prevent, or escape a driver who comes up behind you and doesn’t stop. The reasons for these accidents may involve driver impairment (drugs or alcohol) or distracted drivers (texting) or any number of other reasons, but there are some things you can do as a sober, responsible driver to lower your chances of being hit from behind.

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