Are Female Doctors Safer Than Their Male Counterparts?
A new JAMA Internal Medicine article has good news for senior citizens receiving treatment from female doctors. They may have better patient outcomes. According to the Harvard doctors responsible for the article, senior citizen patients treated by women had lower mortality rates within 30 days of admission. The data shows 11.07 percent patients treated by… Read more »
Tags: PatientCare
Posted in Medical Negligence
Will This Alarming New Policy Cause an Increase in Medical Mistakes?
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education will vote on increasing the number of consecutive hours first-year residents can work. This private organization is responsible for overseeing physician training in the United States. If this new policy goes into effect, it may have implications for patient safety in hospitals. At the moment, first-year residents fresh… Read more »
Tags: Medicine
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Can Big Data Prevent a Medical Misdiagnosis?
Forbes recently published an article on how software can pair patients with doctors who are most likely to give them an accurate diagnosis. The article explains how Grand Rounds, a mobile app, can help people find doctors in their area who have the most experience treating specific health conditions. According to the creators of Grand… Read more »
Tags: Healthcare
Posted in Medical Malpractice
What Types of Birth Injuries Can Cause Cerebral Palsy?
When OB-GYNs or other doctors deliver newborns, they are legally to provide treatment within the standard of care. If doctors make mistakes during the delivery process, newborns may develop conditions like cerebral palsy. The following types of birth injuries can lead to the development of this condition. Newborns can develop cerebral palsy for the following… Read more »
Tags: NICU
Posted in Birth Injury
Are Anesthesiologists Required to Supervise Surgeries?
General anesthesia is necessary for most complex operations. Anesthesiologists are highly trained doctors tasked with administering patients with anesthetics. It may surprise you to learn that anesthesiologists are not always present while operations are underway. In some cases, patients have been harmed by anesthesia errors due to lack of supervision. Nurse anesthetists sometimes observe patients… Read more »
Tags: Surgery
Posted in Surgical Errors
Can a Second Opinion Prevent a Misdiagnosis?
Misdiagnosis is a common and potentially deadly medical error. For example, in a recent medical malpractice case in Chicago, a man went to a local hospital complaining of severe headache, neck pain, vomiting and disorientation. A doctor sent him home with pain medication instead of consulting with a neurologist or performing a CT scan. Two… Read more »
Tags: DoctorsOffice
Posted in Medical Malpractice
Florida Doctor Facing 500 Years for Fake Cancer Medicine
A Florida oncologist is facing 500 years in prison for giving cancer patients fake chemotherapy drugs. Investigators with the Department of Justice claim the doctor has given patients fake cancer medicine since 2009 to defraud Medicare. According to investigators, many of the medications were from foreign countries and are not FDA approved. One of the… Read more »
Tags: Chemo
Posted in Medication Errors
Do Teaching Hospitals Have Higher Rates of Central Line Infections?
Improperly used IV lines are responsible for 20 percent of hospital-acquired infections. An estimated 27,000 people fell victim to central line infections in 2015. One in four patients who develop these infections die. Many hospitals have reduced rates of central line infections by 50 percent since 2008. However, a new study released by Consumer Reports… Read more »
Tags: Superbug
Posted in Medical Negligence
Can Artificial Narrow Intelligence Improve Patient Safety?
Artificial narrow intelligence (ANI) may play a role in providing care for patients and their families in the near future. According to the Harvard Business Review, ANI systems can offer suggestions, update hospital staff with need-to-know information and prevent medical errors. In many ways, ANI could improve patient safety. ANI systems can gather massive amounts… Read more »
Tags: Futurism
Posted in Medical Negligence
Can Genetic Testing Cause a Medical Misdiagnosis?
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, African Americans are at risk for receiving incorrect results from genetic tests for an inherited heart disorder. Specifically, doctors may misinterpret these tests and give a medical misdiagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The condition, which causes a hardening of the heart walls, is known… Read more »
Tags: Patients
Posted in Misdiagnosis
