August is Appendix Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to review this cancer as well as the risk of missed or delayed diagnoses. Flaxman Law Group, a family law firm with offices in Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood, has worked with many families who have been affected by medical malpractice. If your cancer diagnosis was delayed or missed, contact us for a free consultation with a Florida medical malpractice attorney.
Dentists, dental hygienists, and oral surgeons have a crucial role to play in giving us beautiful smiles and promoting good oral health. Oral hygiene has even been linked to overall good health, so these medical professionals are an important part of our overall well-being.
While many people are nervous about going to the dentist, most do expect to have excellent care. In Hollywood, Homestead, Miami, and surrounding areas, there are a number of highly skilled and respected dentists, orthodontists, and other oral care specialists. In fact, people travel from all over the country and even from other parts of the world to see specialists in this area.
Medical negligence is a significant problem across America. According to a study in the journal Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, over 250,000 Americans die each year due to medical errors, making this the third-leading cause of death in the country. Many of these errors are preventable.
Medical errors can take many forms. Wrong site surgery, preventable infections, drug errors, and other instances of negligence lead to complications and even fatalities. Today, though, let’s take a closer look at another common cause of medical malpractice claims: delayed care.
Misdiagnosis is a major cause of personal injury, fatalities, and complications in America. In the United States, about 12 million patients are misdiagnosed, with up to 80,000 people dying each year from these misdiagnoses.
Misdiagnosis happens for many reasons. Doctors may be busy or they may fail to carefully consider a patient’s symptoms. They may not run necessary tests. In some cases, however, communication can play a role.
When someone goes to a Florida emergency room, of course they expect excellent care during what can be a life-threatening situation. Florida hospitals and healthcare are some of the best in the world. Unfortunately, the busyness of ERs can mean malpractice can happen.
We go to clinics and health facilities to get medical care and to heal from illnesses and injuries. Most of us don’t expect to get injured or ill in a doctor’s office or hospital, but it does happen.
Medical facilities of all kinds are expected to care for their patients and visitors. This means taking care of building maintenance, hiring security guards where needed, and working to provide a safe facility for patients. When they fail to do this, they can be held liable if someone is injured.
Endometriosis is a serious condition that affects an estimated one in ten women. It is also a highly misdiagnosed condition, with most women waiting years for a proper diagnosis. March is Endometriosis Month, and the ideal time to raise awareness about this condition.
What Is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a painful condition which can affect anyone with a uterus. It causes tissue similar to what usually lines the endometrium (uterus) to grow outside the uterus. This lining can grow around the pelvic and reproductive organs, including the ovaries and fallopian tubes, though it can also affect other organs. Like the usual endometrium lining, this tissue sheds regularly, but it has no way to leave the body, so over time scarring and excess tissue can develop around organs, which in some cases can cause organs and pelvic tissue to stick together and surgery may be needed to separate organs again.
Research has shown that women are far more likely to be misdiagnosed when compared with men. Women are 50% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed if they have a heart attack and 30% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed after a stroke. In addition, conditions that affect women, such as fibroids or endometriosis, can take ten years or longer to accurately diagnose, even though these diseases affect one in ten women.
Doctors have an obligation to provide good care to all their patients, and that includes the half of patients that are women. When doctors do not take women’s care seriously and women suffer serious complications or fatalities, medical professionals can and should be held accountable.
March is Colon Cancer Awareness month, making it a good time to raise awareness about this aggressive form of cancer. This disease affects the lower part of the digestive system and can be fatal if not detected and treated early.
Women may visit an OB-GYN in Homestead for many reasons related to pregnancy, fertility, and other health issues. While the goal with these visits is to help women, some women face misdiagnosis and medical malpractice which results in injury and trauma.
Misdiagnosis happens for many reasons. In some cases, such as ovarian cancer, there are simply not the advanced and reliable tests available to ensure accurate diagnosis and the tests that do exist – such as blood tests – are not always suggested. There is also some evidence that medical schools do not always emphasize women’s health as a separate entity and bias as well as lack of research into conditions affecting women can also impact diagnosis.
Florida Injury Lawyer Blog