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Due to the potential for delayed treatment and diagnosis, the criticality of radiology results may require direct communication between the radiologist and ED physician.

Delayed communication of critical result claims frequently involve radiologists who fail to close the communication loop (i.e., fail to obtain an acknowledgement that the ED physician read and understood the finding). Closing the loop may seem redundant because radiology reports can often be created, finalized, and posted in the EHR in near real-time;¹ however, redundancy in a system increases patient safety and reduces malpractice risk.

In the following case study, the radiologist’s critical finding was not communicated to the ED physician in time to treat the patient before progression of his condition resulted in permanent injury.

Adolescent autonomy and privacy are affected by a tangled web of state and federal laws that clinicians are expected to know and abide by. As a rule, adolescent patients cannot give consent for their own medical treatment before they reach the legal age of majority, which, in most states, is 18. The circumstances in which adolescent patients can consent to their own medical treatment vary by state; however, most states have consent exceptions based on an adolescent’s legal status (e.g., married, emancipated) and select medical conditions (“sensitive medical conditions”).

While the number of people getting vaccinations for their children is relatively stable,¹ some parents and guardians are hesitant about or refuse vaccines, or they want to depart from the recommended schedule. Researchers have identified seven primary reasons for this:^2,3,4