Resources

Medical Malpractice

• Institute of Medicine: “What You Can Do To Prevent Medication Errors”This Fact Sheet provides useful tips to prevent medication errors regardless of whether you are at home or in the hospital.
• Medline Medline provides abstracts of medical literature from peer reviewed journals. The full text of many of the articles are available online.
• People Over Profits People Over Profits is committed to fighting back against the well-organized and well-funded assault on the civil justice system, and protecting American civil rights and trial by jury. The attorneys at Williamson Petty LC share the commitment of People Over Profits to protect the right to trial by jury.
• Preventing Medical Errors The Institute of Medicine estimates that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die each year due to preventable medical errors. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s website provides helpful information for patients to be advocates for their own safety when undergoing medical care.
• Virginia Practitioner Database The Virginia Board of Medicine’s databank provides important information about all medical doctors and podiatrists licensed in Virginia. At this website you can research the educational background of doctors as well as whether they have ever settled a medical malpractice claim or had a judgment entered against them.

Anoxic Brain Injuries Due to Malpractice

• Brain Injury Association of Virginia The Brain Injury Association of Virginia provides resources to victims of brain injuries and their families.
• Commonwealth of Virginia – Disability Resources There are government services available to Virginians who are disabled due to brain injuries. This link takes you to the official government website describing the various resources provided to Virginians suffering from serious disabilities ranging from financial assistance to rehabilitation.
• National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Strokes – Cerebral Hypoxia Brain Injuries Information Page The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Strokes provides medical information regarding the causes, treatments and prognosis for victims of brain injuries. It is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• National Rehabilitation Information Center The National Rehabilitation Information Center assists people who are disabled due to brain injuries. This link provides information on how to obtain financial assistance, education, technology, and other services for victims of brain injuries.

Bowel Injuries

• Bowel Trauma – Emedicine Article This article describes the frequency and severity of bowel injuries. One of the most common causes of bowel injuries is trauma that sends the patient to the emergency room. An emergency room doctor who fails to recognize the potential for a bowel injury places a patient at serious risk of a life threatening infection.
• Colostomy – Medline Plus Medline, which is a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provides medical information regarding colostomies which are often necessitated by bowel injuries.

Retained Objects From Surgery

• American College of Surgeons: Statement on the Prevention of Retained Foreign Bodies After Surgery American College of Surgeons provides guidelines to prevent retained foreign bodies after surgery.
• Objects Retained During Surgery: Human Diligence Meets Systems Solutions Retained surgical objects are almost always preventable. This article explores the scope of the problem and solutions to prevent this very serious form of medical malpractice.
• Patient Safety Initiative Update: Retained Foreign Objects Retained foreign objects are one of the most common preventable surgical errors. According to this study, 90% of cases of retained objects involve false counting.
• Prevention of Retained Foreign Bodies This article published by The American College of Surgeons addresses the incidence of foreign bodies retained after surgery and steps surgeons and nurses can take to prevent these serious injuries. The article suggests that most major hospitals have at least one patient who is injured every year because of a retained foreign body.
• Prevention of Unintended Retained Foreign Objects in Surgery This link takes you to a scholarly article on steps health care providers can take to prevent unintended retained foreign objects in surgery.
• The Retained Surgical Sponge This article discusses the frequency of retained foreign objects as well as the mortality rates.

Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility Abuse

• Involuntary Transfer and Discharge of Nursing Home PatientsThe Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 protects nursing home patients from involuntary transfer and discharge. Patients can only be transferred or discharged from a nursing home under limited circumstances. In most cases the nursing home must give the patient at least 30 days notice. The National Consumer Voice for Long Term Care provides a useful guide to the rights of nursing home patients against involuntary transfer or discharge. If you believe a loved one has been wrongfully transferred or discharged from a nursing home, please call us at (804) 288-1661 to discuss your legal rights.
• Regulations Restricting the Use of Restraints in Nursing Homes The Virginia Department of Health bans the use of physical and chemical restraints of nursing home patients except in limited circumstances. This link provides an overview of patient rights to be free from restraints.
• Rules and Regulations for Virginia Nursing Homes This link takes you to a list of the rules and regulations nursing homes are required to follow in Virginia.
• Types of Abuse in Nursing Homes Williamson Petty LC has created a website devoted to the rights of nursing home patients and assisted living facility residents. This link provides valuable information about the signs and symptoms of the most commonly types of abuse committed against the elderly.
• Virginia Assisted Living Facility Inspection Reports The Virginia Department of Social Services inspects and licenses assisted living facilities. At this website you can learn how individual assisted living facilities performed at their recent inspections and whether the facility has been recently sanctioned.
• Virginia Department of Health – Nursing Home Complaint Form If you believe a loved one has been mistreated in a nursing home you can file a complaint with the Virginia Department of Health.
• Williamson Petty LC Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Website Williamson Petty LC’s Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect website provides information about legal remedies against nursing homes and assisted living facilities that abuse and neglect the elderly. On this website you can learn more about our attorneys’ experience in representing victims of elder abuse and neglect as well as the laws governing nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Products Liability

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) The FDA’s website provides valuable information about product recalls, investigations, and safety information.
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Product Recalls Features safety recall information for automobiles, school buses, child safety seats, and defect investigations.
• National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provides valuable safety information for consumers ranging from recommendations on child safety seats to traffic safety to aviation accident investigations.
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Every year thousands of people are injured or killed due to defective products. The CPSC’s website provides useful information including searchables lists of recalled products.

General

• Center for Justice and Democracy The Center for Justice and Democracy is an independent organization that advocates for consumer rights. Please visit this website to learn more about why “tort reform” deprives victims of their rights and is a gift to insurance companies, why BP should be compelled to pay for all of the damage it has caused to the environment and to hard working Americans in the Gulf Coast, and other valuable information.
• Code of Virginia (searchable index) Searchable index of the Code of Virginia.
• Findlaw Findlaw.com provides convenient access to state and federal laws, court opinions, and regulations.
• Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals The opinions of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals are available through a searchable index provided by Emory University. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reviews federal court cases arising out of Virginia and other mid-Atlantic states.
• Virginia Judicial System From this website you can access the websites of the Virginia Supreme Court, Virginia Court of Appeals, and the Virginia Circuit Courts. The website also provides useful legal forms and information about the courts of Virginia.
• Virginia Trial Lawyers Association The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association is a voluntary bar association. Tom Williamson is a past president of the VTLA. Several attorneys at Williamson Petty currently serve on the Board of Governors.