It’s pretty easy to understand that there may be tragic consequences when a patient in need of medical attention is unable to see a doctor. Without any care or treatments, even conditions that would otherwise respond to medical treatments might take a serious turn.
Researchers have been sequencing DNA for years in an effort to identify pathogens. However, DNA analysis hasn’t been widely used to diagnose individual patients’ infections because of the time involved in sorting through DNA fragments that might number in the millions. Yet software is already being developed that can compare DNA fragments with databases of stored genetic sequences.
Have you ever asked yourself these questions: Can a lab test result be used as the sole basis for a diagnosis? Was a generally accepted test used to diagnose my illness? Does my diagnosis match my symptoms?
Medical malpractice, negligence and doctor errors are a frightening prospect for patients. These potential issues raise the question: do patients have the right to know if their doctor has been cited for malpractice or doctor errors? A recent study into this issue has found that over 77 percent of New York doctors who have faced citations continue to practice.
A doctor’s duty of care should not be affected by the type of health care insurance or benefits that a patient has. Yet according to a recent study, Medicaid surgical patients may fare worse than other surgery patients.
Conventional wisdom may assume that a brain injury in a newborn is most typically caused by oxygen deprivation during labor.
Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a disturbing figure: Around 75,000 patients die in hospitals each year from infections contracted in health care facilities.
Although readers may expect this medical malpractice blog to occasionally address medication errors, today’s entry highlights a different medication concern: prescription drug dependency among doctors, nurses and other medical staff.
A woman goes to her doctor and complains about a lump in her breast.
The Dr. sends her for a mammogram.
A few days later, the Dr. calls to tell her not to worry, as it is “only a cyst”.
Readers of this medical malpractice blog may be familiar with some patient safety initiatives focusing on new programs under the Affordable Care Act. What readers may not realize, however, is that a majority of these and other patient safety improvement programs have been limited to inpatient hospital care.
