Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Well, the trial is over, so I guess I can blog about it. There was no verdict, as the judge pulled the plug, saying that the plaintiff's lawyer hadn't made their case. I still don't quite understand his reasoning - it seems tied up in a lot of tangling over the validity of evidence produced via an expert witness who was a nurse instead of the doctor he wanted. I find it all very frustrating, because my read of the situation is that the defendants were probably negligent, and definitely not a pair of hospitals in which I'd be willing to entrust the health of my relatives, friends, or self. These institutions have this horrible collective-responsibility attitude that seems devised to encourage and promote neglect and malperformance, and seem more interested in throwing high-priced, ephemeral consultants at a problem, than investing in basic nursing-level intensive care.

Eh, I'm going to talk to some of my relatives in the industry to see if I was over-reacting. I've got a sister who's a physical therapist. We only saw the plaintiff's case - the trial shut down before the defense had its day in court.

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