If there's one sentiment that doctors often repeat about cancer, it's that early detection is key. Any delay in diagnosis means that a patient's prognosis will decline. You should know how common it is for cancer to be misdiagnosed as something else and which cancers...
Misdiagnosis
Could medical diagnosis errors be reduced?
No matter what career you are in, you will make errors from time to time. However, when someone works as a doctor, they cannot afford to make mistakes. According to a study by the John Hopkins Armstrong Institute, U.S. doctors make around 100,000 diagnosis errors each...
Racism and sexism can affect the medical care you receive
Medical doctors are among the most highly educated of all professionals. Many people tend to think of doctors as more ethical than people in other professions because they make a career out of caring for others. Unfortunately, medicine doesn't automatically make...
Failing to diagnose a stroke can be fatal
When you visit a doctor, it is because you need their expert advice. While you might be able to guess what is wrong with you, they are the ones who spent years studying and practicing medicine. So, if they tell you not to worry, chances are, you will likely believe...
What are the most common types of misdiagnosis?
When you go to a hospital or clinic for treatment of symptoms, you expect the doctors to tell you what’s wrong and make you better. Unfortunately, in many cases, medical professionals delay or wrongly diagnose patients. You may end up suffering even more by not...
Diagnostic errors: Common, costly and often catastrophic
In 2003, actor John Ritter suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm at age 54. His physicians missed the diagnosis. They apparently failed to take a family history that might have revealed the problem. Ritter died as a result of this diagnostic failure. Providence St....
Heart Attack In Women – The Deadly Misdiagnosis
Nearly everyone in the United States has at least an anecdotal understanding of the symptoms of a heart attack. Whether it was a family member, a friend, a co-worker or a classmate everyone recognizes the classic symptoms - chest pain, shortness of breath, a numbing...
5 Commonly Missed Diagnoses
Medical negligence can take many forms. From surgical errors to prescribing a dangerous combination of medication, patients can suffer serious conditions. Unfortunately, a wide array of medical malpractice cases can be directly traced back to diagnostic errors -...
A misdiagnosis can have deadly consequences
When you receive a diagnosis for a serious or terminal condition - cancer, Alzheimer's, ALS, etc. - your whole world changes. Many people decide to confront the diagnosis head on, agreeing to further tests, medication and treatments. Others sink into depression. Some...