Articles Tagged with Failure to Diagnose

A common tenet in the pursuit of curing and preventing cancer is that you have to go to the doctor regularly. This message is regularly directed at men over the age of 30 and younger than 55, because this is the age group that is less likely to see a physician. With prostate cancer being one of the most prominent killers of men, prostate cancer screening is very common for men of a “certain age.” However, a new study suggests that not every man actually needs the screening.

A recent study published by the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care suggests that screenings using a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) may not be the best way to check for cancer. The study indicated that between 11.3 and 19.8 percent of men tested through PSA would receive a false-positive diagnosis. Essentially, the test results would indicate that cancer would be present, when it is actually not.

Researchers were concerned that 40 to 56 percent of those screened would be subject to over-diagnosis, which could lead to unnecessary invasive treatment.

The link between concussions suffered while playing professional football and permanent brain injury has grown over the past few years as more football players are diagnosed with depression, anxiety and other terminal illnesses. The growing number of players exhibiting erratic (and sometimes violent) behavior off the field and even committing suicide has led to rules changes and increased monitoring of concussions on the professional and collegiate levels.

But what about high school football? Concussion protocols have become increasingly important because of new information suggesting that young people can exhibit emotional changes even though they have not technically suffered a concussion. A study presented at the Radiological Society of North America found that small, continuous blows to the head could cause changes to the brains of young football player, even though they have not been clinically diagnosed with a concussion.

Even though the study did not examine how the changes affected brain functions, it brings about concerns as to whether a player should be examined by a brain specialist prior to resuming contact activities. It may also raise questions as to whether doctors are following proper protocols when diagnosing football players.

A number of our posts focus on the legal duty that physicians, nurses and hospital staff in using reasonable care in treating patients. A large part of that duty involves properly assessing patients for treatments; which may include asking questions about what drugs a patient may be allergic to and what their prior medical history involves.

A recent medicalnewstoday.com story exemplifies the importance of these screenings. According to a recent study featured on the site, certain prostate cancer treatments could lead to increased risk of death from heart-related causes. Specifically, men with prior cardiac histories or a diagnosis of congestive heart failure were found to be at risk when undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

ADT focuses on reducing levels of male hormones in the body so that cancer cells will not be stimulated, thus preventing further growth of cancerous cells. Despite the success of this treatment, patients have seen an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and even heart attacks.

A patient who showed up at a Dallas area hospital complaining of fever and headache and was misdiagnosed as a potential Ebola case has passed away. However, in the wake of the man’s death, the hospital is still under fire for missing the diagnosis. According to a fiercehealthcare.com report, the man was initially diagnosed with a low-grade viral infection and was sent home with an antibiotic, despite claims from his sister that he told hospital workers that he had just come back from Liberia.

It appears that a critical piece of information was not shared with healthcare workers, who (in hindsight) should have isolated him to prevent a further outbreak. It is reported that the man may have come into contact with nearly 80 people. 

In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had sent hospitals a special checklist to prepare for potential Ebola cases. Indeed, hospitals are on the lookout for additional cases. Some are even asking every patient coming to an emergency room or for a scheduled appointment about recent travel overseas.

Diagnosing intellectual and developmental disabilities continues to change as technological and scientific advances are made. With these advancements, the guidelines surrounding assessment must also be adjusted. A recent article on disabilityscoop.com highlights the potential changes that may come about as a result of a clinical report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Specifically, advances in genetic testing have enabled doctors to obtain a better diagnosis of children with delays. For instance, in cases where a delay has been identified in a child but the cause is not determined, doctors are encouraged to work with a geneticist to conduct chromosomal microarray testing that may detect genetic abnormalities that could reveal the actual cause of the delay.

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that it is important to indentify the root cause of a particular delay so that an appropriate treatment plan may be developed. This also helps families in managing expectations as the child grows up.

For anyone in Oneida who has wondered how doctors can tell if a patient has diabetes, the easiest way is to test the patient’s A1C levels. By ordering a simple test, doctors can learn a patient’s blood sugar levels for the past two to three months. If it is that easy, why are there an estimated 7 million people in the country whose diabetes is undiagnosed?

What is even more frightening is that undiagnosed diabetes has been linked to heart attacks. Roughly one in 10 people who have had heart attacks have undiagnosed diabetes, Had these individuals known of their diabetes and taken the steps necessary to regulate their weight, blood sugar and other factors, it is possible that they would have been able to avoid the heart attack altogether.

Not only does a failure to diagnose diabetes put a patient at risk of a heart attack, but it also dictates how likely a person is to seek diabetes treatment. Since untreated diabetes could lead to a subsequent heart attack, heart disease and a host of medical conditions, it is important that doctors do what they can to get their patients into diabetic treatment.

Imagine you go to the doctor for a cough you just can’t beat; it’s something people in Syracuse do all the time. The doctor says what you likely already thought: it’s a cold. He or she gives you a perscription-strength cough supressant and sends you on your way. The problem is, your cough isn’t caused by a cold, but by lung cancer.

This is a frightening scenario that happens all too frequently, reports the New York Post. According to a new study to be published in the British medical journal BMJ Quality & Safety, one in 20 patients in the U.S. are misdiagnosed each year. This boils down to approximately 12 million adults.

In some situations, a misdiagnosis or a delay in diagnosis has no ill effects, but in many situations, it could be deadly.