A recent post on ABC News about an alleged medical misadventure made many readers shudder. It was the story of a Wall Street billionaire who claimed his doctors told him for a year he had meningitis that turned out to be cancer. Of course, the sooner you diagnose cancer, the better your chances of survival…..
Continue ReadingMisdiagnosis
Our Nation’s Hidden Elderly Deaths Scandal
Last week we reported about the shockingly deficient numbers of hospitals that do not conduct autopsies, and, as a result, miss important diagnostic and/or treatment lessons from the results. In a related and equally disturbing reality, when elderly people die under suspicious circumstances, the reasons often remain unknown because autopsies are seldom performed on people….
Continue ReadingNew Hope for Communicating with Patients Who Seem to Be in a Vegetative State
A new research study gives hope that some patients who seem to be in a coma, or persistent vegetative state, may actually be aware of their surroundings and can communicate on a rudimentary level. The even better news is that misdiagnosis of these patients, which studies suggest may be common, can be corrected by use….
Continue ReadingThe Effects of False Positives and False Diagnoses
There’s no shortage of stories about the dire effects of a missed diagnosis. But what about the repercussions of a false diagnosis? Two doctors writing on MedPage Today say that the medical industrial complex should be equally concerned about the number of patients diagnosed with a specific disease who do not, in fact, suffer from….
Continue ReadingPhysician learns about hospital errors the hard way
Doctors who aren’t directly involved in patient safety issues often sail through their careers without much awareness of how commonly errors and malpractice infect hospitals, clinics and medical offices. Then they become patients, and suddenly their world is turned upside down. Itzhak Brook, M.D., has been a doctor for more than 40 years. He is….
Continue ReadingMany gastroenterologists overdiagnose Barrett’s Esophagus
When you see a specialist, you expect to hear from an expert who will diagnose your condition and then recommend the appropriate treatment. But that may not be the case, especially if you’re dealing with gastroenterologists and your symptoms appear to resemble those of Barrett’s Esophagus, a condition in which the lining of the esophagus….
Continue ReadingTwo malpractice verdicts in two days in Pennsylvania town
Juries in Erie, Pa., last week returned substantial – and in the first case, record – verdicts on consecutive days in favor of the plaintiffs in two malpractices cases. One day after a jury gave $21.6 million – the largest malpractice verdict in the county’s history – to an Erie mother and her son over….
Continue ReadingLouisiana appeals court rejects malpractice cap in tragic case of child cancer victim
The Third Circuit Court of Appeal in Louisiana has ruled the state’s $500,000 malpractice cap to be unconstitutional. Joe and Helena Oliver had sought relief from the Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act, which shrank the damage award their daughter received for disfiguring injuries from $6.2 million to $500,000. Their daughter, Taylor, developed severe injuries after she….
Continue ReadingFatigue Wears at Doctors’ Work Performance Too
The headline is not exactly shocking, so the real news may be why the issue of how long work days can cause doctors to make errors is so rarely studied. For nurses and residents (doctors in training), plenty of studies have found that when work days stretch beyond twelve hours, more mistakes are made, and….
Continue ReadingMalpractice in treating sepsis: Early aggressive care saves lives
There are no simple diagnostic tests for sepsis – an out-of-control reaction to infection that can start shutting down organs in mere hours – but there are warning signs if healthcare providers pay close enough attention, according to Dr. James O’Brien, a critical care specialist at Ohio State University Medical Center. “Minutes matter,” O’Brien says,….
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