Bridge Point Legal Nurse Consulting

Attorneys, this is for you! Comorbidities are an important component of most injury claims. Sorting out what pertains to the injury in question and a pre-existing condition can sometimes be a challenge. One of the primary elements in proving damages in a personal injury case is establishing a direct causal link between the breach of duty (neglect action) and the resulting harm. Clients with co-morbidities (the presence of pre-existing medical conditions) or previous injuries can complicate a personal injury case. It makes it more difficult to prove that the accident caused the injuries and, therefore, difficult to determine the extent of the damages. At Bridge Point Legal Nurse Consulting, our registered nurses have extensive experience and knowledge in identifying these obstacles and are prepared to help the legal team overcome them by: ? Assessing which damages are directly attributable to the injury. ? Evaluating how pre-existing conditions interplay with the new injury affect the client’s prognosis and future medical needs. ? Determining the extent to which the accident exacerbated the client’s pre-existing conditions or caused new complications. ? Assisting in developing strategies to mitigate arguments by demonstrating the precise impact on the client’s health. ? Assisting the legal team in evaluating how the client’s condition impacts the case’s value by factoring in the client’s pre-existing medical conditions. Do you have questions or need help with a case? We’re here for you! Email: [email protected] Call: 707-582-2186

??♂? Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Personal Injury ADLs play a crucial role in personal injury cases. Accurate documentation and consistent presentation of the client’s injury effects on daily life can significantly strengthen or weaken a client’s case. A qualified personal injury legal nurse consultant can collect evidence from the medical records and strategically present the impact on a client’s ADLs to highlight the severity of the injury and aid the attorney in seeking maximum compensation. What are ADLs? ?? Personal hygiene: Bathing, grooming, and toileting. ?? Dressing: Putting on clothes, fastening buttons, and putting on shoes. ?? Eating: Preparing meals, feeding oneself, and drinking. ? Mobility: Moving from one place to another, transferring from location to location, and driving. ?? Toileting: Controlling bowel and bladder functions and maintaining personal hygiene related to toileting. ??♀? Exercise: Walking, running, working out, or any other form of exercise. Locating the activities of daily living within the medical records can be highly challenging due to various factors: ?? Scattered documentation: Information about these activities can be spread throughout different sections of the medical record ?? Diverse terminology: Different healthcare providers use different terms or abbreviations to describe ADLs. ?? Prioritization: ADLs might not be the primary focus of the medical records, leading to limited or implicit mentions of the impact in acute or long-term care settings. ?? Subjective VS. Objective nature: ADLs are often described subjectively; however, one must quantify or objectively match those impairments to build a stronger case. This can be confusing and time-consuming. Our nurses at Bridge Point Legal Nurse Consulting are experienced in finding and presenting the extent of a client’s ADL impairment. Have a case you would like help with quantifying the impact of ADLs? Here for you! Email us: [email protected] Call us: 707-582-2186

Medical malpractice cases are among the most challenging cases to try. A simple mistake or medical error does not constitute medical malpractice. To effectively argue a case, a medical malpractice attorney (plaintiff) must establish and prove the four elements of malpractice. For malpractice to be found within a record, all of the following elements must be present: 1)?????Duty to the patient: Was the medical professional responsible for the patient’s care? 2)?????Breach of duty: The standard of care is closely examined. Breach of duty can be established when documentation shows that the health care provider did not perform duties consistent with their training, expertise, and specialty. 3)?????Causation: Establishes a correlation between the action or inaction and the adverse outcome. 4)?????Damages: This refers to compensation for loss or injury, medical bills, and punitive damages incurred to the patient due to the injury sustained in the medical malpractice claim. Medical malpractice cases are usually never straightforward. They are often complicated by the substantial amount of resources required, the complexity of the evidence, the difficulty in explaining technical and medical concepts in a digestible manner to lay people, and the inherent bias towards healthcare providers. Despite these medical-legal intricacies, a legal nurse consultant is perfectly positioned to be the bridge point in navigating the complexities of medical malpractice cases by: 1)?????Providing medical expertise: LNCs understand medical terminology, procedures, and standards of care, allowing them to analyze medical records in a timely and consistent manner. 2)?????Case analysis: LNCs can interpret complex medical information and distill it into “need-to-know” information, identify potential areas of negligence deviations in the standard of care, and effectively communicate medical issues within a medical-legal context. We can also quickly identify missing records to request! All analyses and opinions are supported by recent, evidence-based research. 3)?????Case strategy support: LNCs don’t just regurgitate information that a layperson can otherwise find in the medical record and research on Google. LNCs can simplify complex information, maximize understanding of medical issues, translate intricate medical details, and identify potential “red flags” the defense may find that are specific to the client. 4) Expert Witness location: If the nurse reviewer finds negligence that is related to a license that is outside of their expertise, we have a network of expert witnesses to consult. Do you have questions or need help with a case? We’re here for you! Email: [email protected] Call: 707-582-2186

Personal Injury: How Legal Nurses Can Help Investigate the Mechanism of Injury One of my primary goals as a legal nurse is to identify weaknesses in the medical records for attorneys to consider. Weaknesses such as inconsistencies within the medical record may have a negative effect at trial or reduce the settlement value of a case. Every personal injury case is unique, but my approach to sifting through the medical details is the same. Here are some questions I use to guide my medical record review in personal injury cases: ?What is the mechanism of injury? ?Does the claim match the injury? ?Are there any conflicting statements in the medical record? If so, who made them, and where are they? ?Are there any pre-existing medical conditions? ?What forensic evidence contradicts the proposed mechanism? ?What injuries occurred because of the incident? Bridge Point Legal Nurse Consulting recently worked on a personal injury case with 2,600 pages of medical records following a serious slip and fall. We turned that information into 15 pages of highlights and "need-to-knows" in less than 8 hours. More importantly, we highlighted three conflicting mechanisms of injury statements made in the medical record for the attorney to consider. Ambulance record: On scene, the patient stated they had fallen on a puddle of water. Emergency department: During the initial provider visit, the patient stated they tripped over a grocery cart. Primary care provider visit: The patient stated their knee gave out, causing them to fall forward. Consider Bridge Point Legal Nurse Consulting on your next personal injury case! Email: [email protected] Call: 707-582-2186

Attorneys: This is a poll for you. We will be offering some free 30-minute educational presentations in the near future. These will be offered via zoom initially. What topic would you like to see first?

Did you know that Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) can have lasting impacts on individuals' lives? From concussions to severe head trauma, these injuries can vary greatly depending on the area of the brain affected, mechanism of injury, number of head injuries sustained, and more. ??Headache: Persistent or severe headaches after an accident or injury can be a sign of a TBI. ??Confusion: Feeling disoriented, having trouble concentrating, or experiencing memory problems. ??Nausea or vomiting: These symptoms may occur shortly after a head injury. ??Dizziness or balance problems: Feeling unsteady on your feet or experiencing difficulty maintaining balance. ???Blurred vision: Vision disturbances or difficulty focusing your eyes may indicate a TBI. ???Sensitivity to light or noise: Increased sensitivity to light and noise, even in otherwise normal conditions. ??Changes in mood: Sudden mood swings, irritability, or increased emotional sensitivity. ??Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired or having difficulty staying awake, even after getting enough rest. ??Difficulty sleeping: Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing unusual sleep patterns. ??Loss of consciousness: Brief or prolonged loss of consciousness following a head injury. Neurologic injuries involving trauma can be highly complex and complicated by many factors. Our nurses have experience in caring for these patients firsthand and can provide expertise to assist you in litigation. Need help with a TBI or complex neurologic injury case? We're here for you! #TBI #MedicalMalpractice #criticalcareRN #trauma #criminaldefense

If I was embarking on my Legal Nurse Consultant journey NOW, here's the top things I wouldn't do and those I would do... Don't: ? Spend exorbitant $ on a program making grand promises (yep. I did that 16 years ago. ?? So I get it, but don't do it! ) ? Pursue all by yourself (I made this mistake for several years. UGH ????♀?). Do: 1. Join the AALNC: the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (https://www.aalnc.org). 2. Attend the AALNC annual forum. This April, join us in Pittsburgh. There is no substitution for interacting with people who are doing what you want to do (https://lnkd.in/gKmQhePF). Click the link below and go to the Events tab. This investment was the single biggest game changer for my career (and when I went I NEEDED to change the game). 3. Get my education via the AALNC LNC Professional Course. This updated course is incredible and can be purchased ala carte, in bundles (I recommend bundles!), or the whole thing. *Have questions? Message me. I'm happy to share so you don't have to make the same mistakes I did.

Paola is looking for an Opthalmologist Expert. Please reach out if you have one in your network!

Attorneys! I’ve created a glossary of 100 commonly used medical terms that’s available to download for free. If you’re not using a legal nurse consultant, this will help save you or your team some time looking up these common terms. This is the first of many free resources to come! Link is in the comments below ???? Need a legal nurse? We’re here to help! [email protected] Cell 707-582-2186 #bridgepointLNC #medicalmalpracticeattorney #personalinjuryattorney #criminaldefenseattorney #legalnurseconsultant #attorneyresource