People in Alabama should know that diagnostic errors can affect people in nursing homes. Diagnosing a patient can sometimes be hard. When the patients have comorbidities or difficulties communicating, it can be particularly difficult. That’s one of the reasons that nursing homes are such a difficult environment to practice in.
Medical malpractice and diagnostic errors
Medical malpractice is incredibly frightening to most laypeople. They place their trust in doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. They know how long these people spend in school, and how much on-the-job training they get. It can be scary to realize how frequently errors occur.
In radiology, for example, it can be easy to misinterpret an x-ray. Sometimes, depending on the radiologist’s background and specialty, they may see something that’s not really there. Sometimes, radiologists have even mistaken lung cancer for simple pneumonia. In other cases, simple exhaustion can be the culprit.
When elderly people’s well-being is at stake, medical malpractice and nursing home injuries can be especially devastating. Seniors often can’t get around easily. They may have difficulty expressing their feelings and describing their pain to professionals. Medical professionals should be sensitive to these issues. Unfortunately, many seniors end up with preventable illnesses or injuries due to neglect and malpractice. Sometimes, the only recourse senior patients can get is through the law.
Change is on the way
Luckily, in terms of imaging, advances are on the way. Artificial intelligence is making it harder for radiologists to make mistakes. With this tool at their disposal, radiologists will make fewer errors and make better decisions. This means that for many seniors, there will be less worry about misdiagnosis and undertreated injuries.
