Surgical errors using laser technology are on the rise, according to an article appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association - Dermatology (JAMA-Dermatology). The article notes that the number of medical malpractice claims arising out of use of lasers for dermatological procedures has skyrocketed in recent years, due to expansive use of this technology, [...]
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), there will be 228,190 new cases diagnosed and 159,480 deaths from this disease in 2013. A key preventative strategy has been to screen patients who are at increased risk, such as smokers. Until recently, screening had been [...]
An interesting article on misdiagnosis appeared in this Monday's Washington Post. The article, entitled "Misdiagnosis Is More Common Than Drug Errors Or Wrong-Site Surgery," reports that the correct diagnosis is missed, incorrect or delayed in as many as 10 to 20 percent of cases. In many cases, the correct diagnosis may be made in time to avoid any [...]
For patients in a hospital setting, unfettered nursing care is the key to a successful outcome. However, there are many forces present today that constrain nurses from doing their job properly. This puts patients at risk. National Nurses Week is a great opportunity to make patients aware of the importance of nursing care and the challenges that nurses [...]
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. Many strokes, also called cerebral vascular accidents or CVAs, are preventable with proper medical advice, such as controlling hypertension or anticoagulating certain patients with atrial fibrillation ("A Fib"). When a CVA occurs, if care providers act quickly, treatments exist to reverse its effects, such as [...]
Misdiagnosis often occurs when physicians cut corners, jump to conclusions, ignore symptoms, and/or fail to rule out less common causes of a given symptom complex. Frequently, the mistake is as simple as performing a key test when a patient's presentation is consistent with a life-threatening condition. We see this time and time again with lumbar puncture. Today, I [...]
Medical misdiagnosis is a major contributor to unnecessary treatment, increased medical costs and poor outcomes for patients. Several recent studies published in Health Affairs show that many doctors do a poor job of "activating" their patients -- engaging their patients, listening to their concerns, discussing treatment options and involving them in treatment decisions. Low activation rates lead to poor grades on [...]
Delay in diagnosis of lung cancer is a common basis for medical malpractice claims in the State of Ohio. Results of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) published recently in the journal Cancer show that screening of smokers for lung cancer saves lives. In fact, screening of all eligible heavy smokers has the potential to prevent about 12,000 deaths each year [...]
For treatment of stroke, "time is brain." This means the sooner that treatment can restore blood flow to the brain, the more likely the patient will have a good outcome. I have previously written about one such treatment: clot busting medications. Clot busters, such as tPA, must be given within 4.5 hours of the onset [...]
A delay in diagnosis of cancer can spell disaster for young women with breast cancer. Physicians often miss a breast cancer diagnosis in young women because of a simple bias that the disease usually affects only older women. This is just not true. It is well-known that breast cancer can afflict younger women (usually defined as women [...]
