Sepsis is a potentially deadly condition that kills about half of all people who get it. In the U.S. each year, around 250,000 die from the disease. People are much likelier to beat it if they are treated early, but the condition is often not diagnosed by doctors and hospitals in Ohio and around…
Safety in the health care field was brought into the spotlight after a 1999 report called “To Err is Human.” Released by the U.S. Institute of Medicine, it estimated that 44,000 to 98,000 people died each year because of preventable medical errors. Since then, employee training, research and political debates have largely centered on…
Although Ohio residents who suffer from mesothelioma may soon benefit from new diagnostic techniques, experts say that improper diagnoses are still a significant problem. According to one estimate, around one in ten individuals fail to receive the proper treatment because their case is misdiagnosed. Potentially confounding correct diagnosis, pleural mesothelioma, which begins in thoracic…
Patients in Ohio and across the U.S. shouldn’t count on an apology if a surgeon makes a mistake during a procedure, according to a survey. Published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, the found that the vast majority of surgeons followed some national disclosure guidelines after making a medical mistake, but only 55 percent apologized…
While prescribed medications are typically used to improve an individual’s symptoms related to a health condition, errors can occur because of incorrect use of such drugs. In some cases, Ohio residents might not be aware of damages caused by such errors until years later. In other cases, serious consequences can take effect immediately. One…
Osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis are diseases that affect many Ohio residents. According to statistics, approximately 70 percent of people between the ages of 55 and 78 have the most common form of arthritis called osteoarthritis, which mostly affects the hip or knee joints, while only about 1 percent of the U.S. population suffers from…
Ohioans who receive medicine in health care facilities may be susceptible to injuries from medication errors. According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, one noteworthy factor in the incidence of such mistakes is the fact that intravenous and liquid oral medications aren’t dosed in standardized concentrations. For instance, an emergency room staff that…
Plastic surgery patients in Ohio can be at risk for medical errors just like patients who go into surgery for non-cosmetic procedures. An 18-year-old woman who underwent breast augmentation at a clinic in Florida was left permanently brain damaged after the procedure. Now, the woman’s mother is talking publicly about what happened to her…
Most Ohio hospitals and health care providers have switched over from old-fashioned charts to electronic health records when tracking the care that is being given to a patient. Although EHRs are versatile and easier to interpret and use in many cases, gaps in the system have been discovered. An Oxford University study found that…
Many Ohio residents receive their initial diagnosis of heart failure when they visit the emergency room. For many people, the disease is terminal. Of the 23 million people with heart failure around the world, half die within five years of being diagnosed with the condition. Heart failure may be diagnosed earlier with help from…