The Different Forms of Misdiagnosis

Did you know that as much as 1 in 20 patients in outpatient clinics or doctor’s offices are misdiagnosed every year? That’s according to a recent study published in the BMJ Quality & Safety journal. This figure does not include similar cases that may have happened in hospital settings. 

 

Misdiagnosis can come in several forms, including those discussed below.

Doing too little

In some instances, the diagnosis completely misses the patient’s condition, or passes off a serious illness or injury as non-serious. For instance, stomach pains that are treated simply as constipation could later be found to be a case of internal bleeding or a cancerous growth. Improper diagnosis or treatment can be construed as negligence on the part of the doctor.

Doing too much

Conversely, the doctor may diagnose a patient with a serious condition. A mass detected in radiographic images and treated with cancer-fighting drugs may turn out on further examination to be benign. Excessive or unnecessary treatment which stems from erroneous medical judgments or aggressive treatment approaches can also constitute negligence.

These two main types of misdiagnosis can result to serious harm or even death, which could be grounds for a medical malpractice suit. In proving that negligence had indeed transpired, the testimony of an internal medicine or forensic toxicology expert can be helpful. Such a professional can identify deviant treatments, poisoning drugs, and other possible harmful factors that can arise from medical negligence.

Keys to Choosing an Expert Witness

Criminal cases are won by a single expert testimony, be it by a ballistics specialist, a criminal psychology professional or a toxicologist. Oftentimes, it is the lawyer’s job to secure a witness who can help disprove his client’s involvement in the case. So how exactly does one choose an expert witness?

Choose the Field

Fields of specialization include forensic, environmental, and medical toxicology, internal medicine, and clinical pharmacology. For example, if the case involves poisoning, then you should look for a toxicology expert witness. You can also get in touch with a reputable expert witness referral service for assistance.

Consultant

You will have to hire an expert witness that will act as a consultant to study the case and provide results. A ballistics expert for instance, will inspect bullet wounds and trajectories to find a link between the suspect and the victim. A toxicologist on the other hand, will check for evidence of administered poisons to find out if the victim indeed died or was almost killed by poisoning.

Witness

After the expert has obtained results, the court will convene him to testify (take note that you have the call on how much information the witness can divulge, as long as you’re not burying evidence). You may also need to brief your expert on what questions he might be facing in the course of his examination and cross-examination.

Environmental Toxicology: Recent Discoveries on Chemicals in the Air

"These are the kinds of things that toxicologists like Dr. Nachman Brautbar MD deal with on a regular basis. Aside from pollutants, they also analyze pesticides, plastic materials, solvents, and even gasoline (especially in an oil spill) for toxicity. It is the job of toxicologists to accurately pinpoint the causes and effects of environmental diseases to humans, animals, and plants, as well as help shed light on environmental issues such as global warming. For instance, recent environmental toxicology research now establish that reducing the amount of sulfur dioxide on the planet, which is one of the causes of global warming, can actually make things worse. This compound plays an important role in cooling the planet's surface; removing it from the atmosphere will allow more sunlight and heat to enter the Earth. The best thing that can be done is to regulate, rather than completely neutralize, sulfur dioxide levels like putting high taxes on greenhouse gas emissions so that industr

http://www.environmentaldiseases.com/blog/2013/10/02/environmental-toxicology-recent-discoveries-on-chemicals-in-the-air/