Many readers might reasonably believe that most instances of patient harm owing to medical error result from surgical mistakes or treatment glitches.
Medical report: Electronic health records replete with problems
The ECRI Institute -- a nonprofit organization focused on best practices in the medical industry and patient care -- serves as a repository and evaluator of information supplied by hospitals across the country that report unsafe practice, dangerous conditions, failure to diagnose incidents and other adverse medical outcomes.
Consumer Reports weighs in on cancer screening tests
In recent years, a growing amount of attention has built -- and continues to build -- regarding the wide battery of diagnostic testing that is available and often recommended by physicians for their patients. What in former years was seldom questioned is nowadays frequently -- and sometimes stridently -- debated in medical circles, with this specific question often being asked: What tests are appropriate, and for whom?
$2Million verdict for Delayed Diagnosis of Cancer
New Castle, PA On Monday night after a six day trial in front of the Honorable Dominick Motto, it only took a jury two and a half hours to award a $2Million verdict to a 32 year old nurse and mother of three small children. In May of 2008, after experiencing what she thought was hemorrhoidal bleeding, Sarah Bargas went to see Ann Blakeley, D.O. at her office, Hemorrhoid Care, P.C. At that first visit Dr. Blakeley performed an anoscopy and diagnosed Sarah with hemorrhoids. She then recommended treatment with an "IRC" machine (infrared coagulation machine) in which a wand of light is applied to the base of a hemorrhoid, without ordering any further testing.
Study: CAD Technology Increases Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis
About 75 percent of all breast cancer screenings performed in the United Sates rely on computer-aided detection ("CAD") technology software, which was approved for use by the FDA in 1998. Some prior studies indicate that CAD technology can help detect cancer as well as the second set of eyes provided by a reviewing radiologist.
Study: Public/Private Hospital Disparity in Lung Cancer Care
In a new medical study recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the focus is less on a doctor's failure to make an accurate diagnosis of cancer than it is the disparity in treatment received based on the type of institution where a patient is receiving care after a diagnosis has already been made.
Massive Study Concludes No Effective Screening for Ovarian Cancer
Doctors' recent comments on the results of a massive ovarian cancer study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah are decidedly underwhelming, with one gynecologic oncology expert saying that, "We kind of knew that."
Study: General MDs Often Misdiagnose, Fail to Detect Skin Cancers
A recent medical study carried out by researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine reveals that, ironically, a skin cancer check by a general physician often results in a failed or delayed diagnosis of cancer rather than early and accurate detection.
Preventive Health Care Lacks for U.S. Senior Population
It is estimated that approximately 10,000 Americans turn 65 each day of the year. Admittedly, that is a burgeoning population, and what many health care experts find worrisome is that the group as a whole is starkly underserved when it comes to receiving preventive health care screenings and vaccinations.
Doctors Suggest Surgical Biopsies Far Too Often
When a patient is told that he or she has an abnormality present in the breast, it's common that the doctor may recommend a surgical biopsy to test the lump to determine whether it's breast cancer. While this may be necessary in some cases, researchers say that a surgical biopsy should only be done in about 10 percent of cases. The other 90 percent should undergo a needle biopsy, which is a much less invasive procedure.
