Posted on Jul. 8 2013 in Medical Malpractice Cases
Taking care of our health is a partnership between ourselves and our doctors. It’s our job to pay attention to our bodies and inform the doctor if anything seems out of order, and also reveal what we know about our habits or family history that may increase our risk of certain conditions, including cancers. It’s the doctor’s job to look into those concerns as necessary based on his or her medical knowledge as well as communication with the patient. When that communication doesn’t happen the results can be both painful and expensive for the patient, and possibly deadly. With cancer especially early diagnosis can make a big difference when it
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Posted on Feb. 15 2013 in Medical Malpractice Cases
Currently cancer afflicts a massive segment of the American population. The American Cancer Society Correct treatment is crucial to lowering these numbers and ensuring that you aren’t one of the unlucky ones who succumb to this debilitating disease. Cancer is tricky,and once it metastasizes (spreads from its original point of origin), it can be much harder to treat. As most of us know, when and how the cancer is diagnosed plays heavily into chances of survival, and discovering that you have suffered from a misdiagnosis can be devastating. Most Common Cancer Misdiagnosis Unfortunately, misdiagnoses or failure to diagnose can occur in almost every cancer case, among them: breast cancer lung
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Posted on Jan. 22 2013 in Medical Malpractice Cases
Hospitals in Kentucky can take a few lessons on avoiding medical errors and lawsuits arising as a result of these errors from the University of Michigan Health System. According to an analysis of the performance of the University of Michigan Health System, it has done an excellent job of responding to medical errors,reducing the risk of medical errors in the future, and dealing with patient injuries that result as a consequence of those errors. The Michigan Model is based on an approach of “disclose, apologize and offer”, and can improve access to compensation, enhance patient safety and promote transparency. So successful has the system been that the “Michigan Model “is being
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Posted on Nov. 29 2012 in Medical Malpractice Cases
Many hospitals have been slowly phasing in the 3-day-workweek for nurses with extended work shifts. The three-day workweek allows for longer weekends,and is believed to contribute to a better work-life balance. Unfortunately, the longer shifts also seem to be linked to higher levels of stress. According to a new study of nurses that was been published recently in the journal Health Affairs, when nurses work long,extended shifts of 13 or more hours, they are at risk for increased levels of nurse burnout and decreased job satisfaction. Nurses who work long hours of 10 or more hours were found to be approximately 2 ½ times more likely to suffer burnout and stress,
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Posted on Oct. 15 2012 in Medical Malpractice Cases
Discussions about how to prevent medical errors are common, but a new piece in the Wall Street Journal which outlines specific steps to reduce the risk of medical errors is generating quite a bit of buzz, because it was written by a prominent Johns Hopkins doctor. In the piece titled How to Stop Hospitals from Killing Us, Marty Makary provides a ringside view of the frequency with which medical errors occur in American hospitals. These errors include everything from wrong site surgeries to surgical instruments left behind in a patient’s body. Dr. McCarty recommends 5 steps to prevent these errors. Open Access to Safety Information Public reporting of medical errors
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Posted on Jan. 12 2010 in Medical Malpractice Cases
A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine analyzed 583 physician-reported errors related to missed or delayed diagnoses, mistakes the authors called a “frequent and under-appreciated cause of patient injury.” Diagnostic Errors ‘Leading Cause’ of Medical Malpractice Also calling them the “leading cause” of medical malpractice litigation, the authors cited diagnostic error rates of 10% to 15%, as confirmed by decades of data from autopsy reports. Called the Diagnostic Error Evaluation and Research (DEER) project, the study was funded by AHRQ and involved anonymously surveying hundreds of clinicians about cases in which they personally committed or directly observed what they personally deemed to be diagnostic errors. Most Common Misdiagnosis The
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