Surgeons and nurses have different ideas about whether hours working in operating rooms should be capped, according to a recent poll by Medscape. The first of the poll's questions asked if the hours that surgeons work should be capped to lower the number of harmful surgical errors; 87 percent of nurses said yes, compared with 57 percent of doctors. Nine percent of the nurses and ten percent of the doctors said they were unsure on the issue.
Deaths from medical errors top 250,000 per year
Though 40 percent of people in Florida and across the nation name health care as one of their top political concerns, accidental patient deaths due to medical errors are often an ignored issue in elections. A study done by John Hopkins Medicine estimates that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 250,000 deaths each year.
Former Miami Dolphin loses medical malpractice case retrial
Former Miami Dolphin wide receiver O.J. McDuffie won a medical malpractice case against a team physician in 2010, but lost the retrial this November.
Prescription errors common in pediatric residents
Medical residents in Florida and across the United States may be making serious errors when it comes to writing prescriptions for children. A study that was presented at an American Academy of Pediatrics conference revealed that residents who write pediatric prescriptions often make serious errors that could lead to the incorrect dosage of a medication being given to the child.
Many Parkinson's patients may be misdiagnosed
For many people in Florida, hand tremors or a shaky, stiff sensation when walking may point to signs of Parkinson's disease, the chronic, progressive neurological condition. Some people may even be diagnosed with Parkinson's on the basis of their symptoms, especially if they visit a family doctor instead of a specialist. However, Parkinson's is misdiagnosed more than some might expect; there are other disorders that can closely resemble the symptoms of Parkinson's, but the suggested treatments are distinctly different.
Study shows alarming misdiagnosis rate for childhood brain cancer
Getting the right treatment is important for children in Florida who are diagnosed with brain cancer. One type of cancer called CNS-PNET is traditionally diagnosed by the locations of the tumors in the brain and by looking at tumors under a microscope.
