Mistakes made by nurses
Medical mistakes can occur at all levels of care in a New York hospital or other medical setting. Mistakes can cause serious harm or even death to a patient.
Advances in breast cancer research offer promise
New Yorkers who are at risk for breast cancer might be interested in learning about some breakthroughs in cancer research that could potentially have major impacts on the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. While there still is no cure for cancer, these advances could bring the world closer to discovering one.
Rare diseases and diagnostic errors
New York residents who suffer from rare diseases face several obstacles. These illnesses may have less research devoted to them. Since they are rare, doctors often misdiagnose these conditions or a correct diagnosis is delayed, leading to potential harm.
COPD and asthma misdiagnoses
New York residents who suffer from breathing problems may want to know that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded a $1.5 million grant to analyze the use of spirometry testing and the effect of diagnostic error on patient outcomes. Contributing factors to the bestowing of the grant were studies that indicated 30 to 50 percent of patients may be given a misdiagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Transfer from hospital to nursing home risky for patients
When geriatric patients in New York and around the country return to their nursing homes after a hospitalization, they enter a danger zone for medical errors. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services studied data from 2014 about these patient transfers, researchers discovered that close to 25 percent of the people with complicated medical conditions experienced harm within a few days after returning to their nursing facilities. Inadequate follow-up care or monitoring and medication mistakes accounted for the majority of these incidents.
Medical diagnoses in the hands of computers
People depend on doctors to provide reliable health care. Unfortunately, many individuals across New York and the rest of the United States are faced with misdiagnoses every year. This leads to patients undergoing sometimes expensive and dangerous treatments that do them no good.
Misdiagnosing cancer in children
September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in New York as well as across the country and around the world. The purpose of this annual event is to provide parents and caregivers with information about the different types of cancers that children can contract as well as to raise funds for research and support.
Does defensive medicine really prevent litigation?
Most people are familiar with the Hippocratic Oath by which all doctors and medical professionals live. But a doctor’s duty to make the best judgments possible and to do no harm is often mired by the looming threat that if they fail to meet these expectations, they could face litigation as a result.
Keeping elderly loved ones safe from nursing home abuse
When aging loved ones in New York require consistent care, it is a common practice for their family members to place them into a long-term care facility, such as a nursing home. While most nursing homes are professionally run, the unfortunate reality is that some facilities have low standards of patient care, or even a history of negligence and abuse. In the past, standard arbitration clauses in facility contracts made it difficult for families to hold a nursing home or negligent nurse accountable for their negative behavior.
In New York, who is at fault for a birth injury?
Every parent hopes that their child will be born happy and healthy. Unfortunately, when mistakes are made in the delivery room or a member of the hospital staff misses a warning sign, children and mothers can suffer serious injuries that can require everything from extensive medical treatment to long-term care.