Do obese patients receive poor care compared to those who are not? That’s a good question, particularly for patients who may be overweight. There have been claims made that doctors are prejudiced against obese patients. Why? Many may assume that their medical problems are a result of their weight. Is that true in all cases? Not at all. However, the…
It might not be surprising, but the older you get, the worse the hospital can be for you. Many senior and elderly patients deteriorate physically and mentally when they’re in the hospital, even if they get over their original illness or injury. Around a third of patients over the age of 70 and over half of the patients who are…
Infections are more than just a little redness, pus or soreness. They can lead to sepsis and necrosis; even minor infections can end up leading to a patient’s death if left untreated. To reduce the risk of suffering from an infection at the hospital, these are some steps you can take. First, make sure you ask that the staff and…
In 2011, the Journal of General Internal Medicine published their findings on the frequency of medical errors, and found that the month of July looked especially interesting. This month had 10 percent more teaching hospital deaths than other months due to medical errors. Doctors that heard about the findings weren’t surprised. It fact the medical community has a name for…
What’s the third leading cause of death? Heart disease? Cancer? No, in fact, it’s medical errors. It might be a shock to you that medical errors rank so high, but with 251,000 deaths due to medical errors reported in the most recent year’s data, they certainly do cause problems for patients and their families alike. It’s not just medical errors…
Doctors can make mistakes in diagnosing conditions, which is why many people say that it’s important that you get a second opinion about your doctor’s diagnosis. It’s particularly important to seek a second opinion when you’re facing treatments for cancer or major diseases. You want to make sure that biopsies and diagnoses are correct before starting on a program of…
The death of a mother is a horrible situation; the newborn child has no time to grow with a mother’s care, and the father or family involved is left to care for a new child as well as mourning their loss. When medical malpractice is the cause of a death, it’s possible to receive compensation for that malpractice. Family members…
Infections are commonplace in hospitals, but they shouldn’t be. With the right care and preventative measures, your environment should be as sterile as possible, preventing you from suffering from secondary conditions. Even visitors and doctors in the hospital setting can be exposed to these sometimes life-threatening infections, which is why it’s so important to prevent them. Over a million infections…
Death is inevitably a part of life. Most hope that when the time comes the end will be peaceful and follow a long, good life. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. At times, a life could be cut short by the negligent actions of others. It is possible those actions could even be at the hands of people who…