Medical Issues (Injury & Error)

1 in 20 American adults ‘misdiagnosed in outpatient clinics each year’

Last updated: Thu 17 Apr 2014 at 12am PST A new study reveals that around 12 million people in the US are misdiagnosed in outpatient clinics each year – the equivalent to 1 in every 20 adults. According to the study researchers, the findings pose a “substantial patient safety risk.” The research team, led by […]

Missed Diagnoses Trigger Primary Care Malpractice Claims

Troy Brown July 18, 2013 Most malpractice claims against primary care physicians are a result of missed diagnoses, especially of cancer and myocardial infarction in adults and meningitis in children, and medication errors, according to an analysis of data from 34 published studies of malpractice claims. Emma Wallace, MB Bch, BAO, a clinical research fellow in the […]

How the health care system is making pain patients worse

SRIDHAR VASUDEVAN, MD MARCH 3, 2015 Over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain such as spinal disorders (lower back pain, disc disease, pinched nerves and neck pain), complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia and headaches. The cost of chronic pain in human suffering, lost worker productivity and in health care dollars is counted in the […]

Acetaminophen Risks May Have Been Underestimated

Troy Brown, RN March 02, 2015 Paracetamol, known as acetaminophen in the United States, may have more risks than originally thought, particularly when it is taken at the higher end of standard therapeutic doses, according to a new systematic review. The authors and an outside expert recommend caution when interpreting the data, as they are observational in […]

Whistleblower Nabs Cardiologist for Alleged Fraud

Published: Jul 12, 2013 By Chris Kaiser Cardiologist Julie A. Kovach stands to receive up to $120,000 as her share of a whistleblower lawsuit that has been settled for $4 million. Kovach filed a lawsuit under the False Claims Act against Jackson Cardiology Associates and its owner, cardiologist Jashu Patel MD, and against Allegiance Health, […]

Clostridium difficile Infection in the United States

The New England Journal of Medicine N Engl J Med 2015; 372:825-834February 26, 2015DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1408913 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this study performed active surveillance across 10 geographic areas of the United States in 2011 to identify stool-positive cases of Clostridium difficile infection and classify them as community-associated or healthcare-associated. Of the total of 15,461 […]

NSAIDs Up Bleeding/CV Risks in Post-MI Patients Treated With Antithrombotic Medication

Michael O’Riordan February 24, 2015 GENTOFTE, DENMARK — Patients receiving antithrombotic therapy following an MI who take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) are at an increased risk of bleeding and an increased risk of cardiovascular death, nonfatal recurrent MI, and stroke, according to the results of a new Danish observational study[1]. The increased risk of bleeding and […]

Long-Acting Opioids Related to Unintentional Overdose Risk

Beth Skwarecki February 18, 2015 Long-acting opioids were associated with a greater than 2-fold risk for unintentional overdose compared with short-acting formulations, according to a cohort study published online February 16 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Moreover, the risk was more than 5-fold greater in the first 2 weeks of using a long-acting opioid. “If replicated in other cohorts, our findings […]

Are Your Medications Safe? The FDA buries evidence of fraud in medical trials

FEB. 9 2015 By Charles Seife Agents of the Food and Drug Administration know better than anyone else just how bad scientific misbehavior can get. Reading the FDA’s inspection files feels almost like watching a highlights reel from a Scientists Gone Wildvideo. It’s a seemingly endless stream of lurid vignettes—each of which catches a medical […]

Medical Board Strips License Of “G-Spot” Doc

FEBRUARY 9, 2015 Ohio gynecologist copped to improper sexual contact FEBRUARY 9–A disciplinary panel has voted to strip an Ohio gynecologist of his medical license for inappropriate behavior with two patients, both of whom the physician helped find their respective “G-spots” before engaging in further sexual contact, according to state records. The State Medical Board […]

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Marketing to Doctors (HBO) – Video

Published on Feb 8, 2015 Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars marketing drugs to doctors. We have a few issues with that.   YouTube Link

Inappropriate Aspirin Use for CVD Prevention

January 26, 2015 Journal of the American College of Cardiology Volume 65, Issue 2, January 2015 Ravi S. Hira, MD TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Using a US nationwide registry, the authors examined the frequency and practice-level variation of inappropriate aspirin use for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Overall, the frequency of inappropriate aspirin use was 11.6% (N = […]

Statins save fewer lives than exercising and eating sensibly, say scientists

The Telegraph By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor 12:00AM GMT 23 Jan 2015 Academics at the University of Liverpool said figures showed that more effort should be put into population-wide schemes to improve overall health. Statins save fewer lives than simple lifestyle changes like exercising and eating sensibly, scientists have found. Researchers discovered that the wonder […]

Christian GP performs ‘exorcism’ on patient because ‘God is your surgeon’, tribunal hears

Telegraph.co.uk By Agency 12:50PM GMT 20 Jan 2015 Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing told Dr Thomas O’Brien persuaded mother of one to undergo spiritual procedure at Pentecostal church to cure pain A Christian family doctor performed an exorcism on a seriously ill patient after promising he could “heal” her without medication, a medical tribunal heard. […]

Statin Therapy Associated With Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

January 16, 2015 The American Journal of Cardiology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this prospective study, researchers evaluated 4645 patients with vascular disease to determine the association between statin use and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus. Independent from metabolic syndrome characteristics, statin therapy, especially intensive statin therapy, was associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes. […]

FDA says one dead, many ill after receiving non-sterile solution

BY TONI CLARKE Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:33pm EST (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that many people have been sickened and one has died after receiving intravenous fluids that were meant to be used for training purposes only. News of the death comes less than a month after the […]

Lasers, Smoking, and Why Hospitals Need to be More than Just Landlords

THURSDAY, JANUARY 08, 2015 Last month I had a meeting at the Ottawa Hospital’s Civic campus. On my way through the hospital I passed by something called the Omega Laser Stop Smoking Clinic. According to their literature, “laser therapy treatment is a non-invasive method used to balance the energy flow between meridians“, and is reported […]

Justice Dept. Sues Doctor Paid Richly by Medicare

Justice Dept. Sues Doctor Paid Richly by Medicare By REED ABELSON and JULIE CRESWELL JAN. 5, 2015 One of the nation’s top-billing doctors, a cardiologist who collected more than $18 million in payments from Medicare in 2012, has been accused by the federal government of performing unnecessary procedures on patients. The Justice Department announced on […]

Scrutiny for Laxatives as a Childhood Remedy

By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS JANUARY 5, 2015 The Food and Drug Administration has raised new questions about the safety of an adult laxative routinely given to constipated children, sometimes daily for years. The agency has asked a team of scientists in Philadelphia to look more closely at the active ingredient in Miralax and similar generic products, called polyethylene […]

Physician Receives Long Prison Sentence in Overdose Death

Robert Lowes December 22, 2014 Story Source A New York state judge on December 19 sentenced an anesthesiologist to a minimum of 10 years and 8 months in prison for operating a pain pill mill in New York City and recklessly causing the deaths of two patients. In July, a jury found Stan Xuhui Li, MD, guilty […]