Knowledgeable and Experienced Guidance
In May, a medical journal estimated that more than a quarter of a million deaths in the United States each year are attributed to medical errors. Only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths each year. In 2011, a law changed in North Carolina that caused medical...
If you have ever been in an emergency room in a big city, you know how hectic it can be. There are paramedics bringing accident, overdose or gunshot victims, doctors and nurses are rushing quickly up and down the hallways and machines seem to always be making some...
As you can likely imagine, telling someone bad news in a medical setting is difficult. Imagine telling a patient, though, that an adverse event had occurred that was not the patient's fault. One study has found that it is often very difficult for surgeons to tell...
When you undergo radiology or laboratory testing, you assume that the people involved will do whatever it takes to provide accurate results. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Instead, radiology errors are more common than they should be. Day in and day out,...
A medical mistake is often more than a simple mix up. In some cases, if the mistake is serious enough, it can result in serious injury or even death. As a patient, you need to keep a close watch on your medical team at all times. This means understanding their...
People often blindly trust their doctors. They simply assume that the doctor has their best wishes in mind, as he or she is supposed to. The reality, though, is that doctors may only be thinking about themselves, and they may not be as trustworthy as they appear....
With each passing year, the practice of medicine becomes more and more specialized. While this is a good thing to a certain degree, it can also lead to confusion. For example, family doctors don't often know when they should diagnose a patient or refer him or her to...
Anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists have a big responsibility. It is their job to ensure that the right amount of anesthesia is given during a procedure. While this sounds simple, it is anything but that. There is a lot that goes into this decision. Any...
Nobody wants to visit an emergency room, but if you have an immediate medical need there is often no other choice. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your health. While you hope to receive top notch care in an emergency room environment, here is...
According to a study done at Boston Children's Hospital, about one in 10 parents saw mistakes that doctors missed. The study included observing safety incidents on two pediatric units. The lead study author said in an email, "As anyone who has ever been hospitalized...