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Veterans Affairs Centers Lack Proper Training to Perform Endoscopies and Other Common Procedures

By Jim Lewis

When a member of the military visits a Veterans Affairs (VA) center to get a check-up, treatment, or procedure they put their trust in the employees of that center to be up-to-date and capable of performing basic medical tasks. Unfortunately, 57 percent of VA centers do not have standard operating guidelines or properly trained staff to perform endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopies, according to the Associated Press.

As an injury lawyer with 20 years of experience representing our heroic veterans in Virginia, it's surprising to learn our VA centers continually fail to offer proper preparation for a very common, minimally invasive procedure such as a colonoscopy.

A colonoscopy helps find tumors, ulcers, colon polyps, and inflammation or bleeding, according to WebMD.com. During the procedure, tissue samples can be collected, known as a biopsy, and abnormal growths can be removed. A colonoscopy can also be utilized to check for cancer or precancerous growths, commonly referred to as 'polyps,' in the colon or rectum,

The doctor uses a tube called a colonoscope to examine the colon. Apparently, the doctors and staff at numerous VA centers improperly used a colonoscope and other endoscopic equipment or were not well-trained with these items.

An even more disturbing aspect of this revelation is the fact that in February, the VA warned roughly 10,000 former patients at facilities in Miami to get blood tests for HIV and hepatitis due to a potential infection from VA procedures.

Here's a video discussing the HIV infections of veterans possibly from VA procedures…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HweJDx3ZFU

It's clear the VA needs to make some dramatic changes to their policies and procedures. This lackadaisical attitude toward caring for our veterans is unacceptable. They deserve the very best care possible and a majority of VA centers simply fail at this task.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

PA

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jim Lewis

Full post as published by Norfolk-Portsmouth Personal Injury Lawyer on June 29, 2009 (boomark / email).