In a very sad medical malpractice case a 16 year old girl died of brain cancer after none of the 13 doctors who failed to diagnose the brain tumor ordered an MRI. Natasha Simmons had all the symptoms of a brain tumor: headaches, numbness, back pain, vomiting and problems with…
Until recently when a patient with prostate cancer was developing resistance to drugs that block testosterone, the hormone that fuels the cancer growth, his urologist would refer him to an oncologist who would start chemotherapy. The situation recently changed with the arrival on the market of new drugs such as…
Doctors often fail to diagnose cancer in women with dense breast tissue because mammograms screenings are not reliable for women with this condition. Recent statistics and studies also show that women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Therefore advocacy groups have been pushing for…
Every drug with two names, brand name and generic name, is a medication error waiting to happen, writes Theresa Brown in her latest Opinion in The New York Times blog. A system that would keep only the brand name with a “-G” appended at the end of the name for…
The risk of physician-related ED medication errors among seriously ill and injured children in rural EDs can be significantly reduced with telemedicine consultations according to a study published in the current issue of Pediatrics, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study looked at 234 seriously ill…
A doctor can commit medical malpractice if he is not properly trained to use the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. In a recent case study Web Morbidity and Mortality looks at the case of an epileptic patient who experienced temporary toxicity because of a medication error linked to improper use…
Diagnostic errors are among the most significant medical malpractice areas in the United States. In the current issue of “Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care” entitled “Diagnostic Errors and Strategies to Minimize Them”, Satid Thammasitboon, William Cutrer, Supat Thammasitboon, Amy Flemming, William Sullivan, and Geeta Singhal provide a…
Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) are often the result of medical malpractice. An estimated 250,000 CLABSIs occur every year in the US with 800,000 of them happening in the emergency room. More than 30,000 people die from CLABSI in the US every year. The CDC estimates that the yearly cost…
Medication errors in nursing homes are one of the most common types of medical malpractice. Lack of Physician involvement, lack of adequate staff and training are often the reason why significant medication errors are all too common in nursing homes. Here is an link to an article and a video…
Misdiagnosis is the leading cause of medical malpractice claims. 160,000 patients suffer serious personal injury or wrongful death because of diagnostic errors every year. In her recent article “The Biggest Mistake Doctors Make” Laura Landro from the Wall Street Journal looks at solutions that are being developed by healthcare providers…
