Trauma: C-Spine Case Study - Fall Down Stairs

Course overview

This course is a case presentation involving the failure to properly evaluate a cervical spine in a 72-year-old male. The facts of the case are straightforward, and most will agree the physician involved breached a standard of care and injured the patient. What makes the case fascinating are the special circumstances and the moment-to-moment events in the emergency department that day. The case raises several critically important issues for emergency practitioners and emergency nursing leaders. The role and responsibilities of a department director or chairman were key issues in this case. A culture of patient safety, communication, and a team approach to high-quality care can avoid or circumvent patient injury in many cases. After completing this activity, practitioners should be able to: apply evidence-based medicine in the evaluation of patients with apparent C-spine injury in order to determine the pre-test probabilities for C-spine imaging that would require imaging; determine when intervention between practitioners may be necessary when it becomes apparent that patient injury is imminent; and incorporate an understanding of potential exposure to liability for emergency medical leadership that is outside the boundaries of the typical medical malpractice lawsuit.