May 13, 2014 in News Blogs

Blogs: Ontario hospitals will have more quality control for diagnostic images

[caption id="attachment_6161" align="alignright" width="300"] (Photo credit: sundesigns/RGBstock.com)[/caption] When you feel chest pain, you head to a hospital to discover what is wrong. Your doctor asks you some questions about your condition, takes x-rays and runs tests to determine the issue and your treatment. While you always want to assume your doctor has diagnosed you correctly, but sometimes this isn't the case. Health Minister Deb Matthews announced that the government will soon introduce a "physician peer-review program" for all diagnostic images, including mammograms and CT scans. According to the Globe and Mail, there will be a team of physicians who will randomly assess the diagnosis provided by a radiologist. "Peer review has been found to be an effective method for enhancing safety and accuracy in diagnostic imaging in many jurisdictions around the world," says a press release by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The announcement comes after an external review was conducted on the work of Dr. Ivo ?Ivan? Slezic, a Trillium Health's radiologist, which discovered that diagnosis mistakes delayed the care and treatment of 11 patients, two of whom died. The review analyzed Dr. Slezic's diagnosis in 3,537 scans, which also included a physician-facilitated medical chart review, patient retesting and a medical follow-up. While Trillium Health says more than 99% of the scans didn't have a clinically significant event, unfortunately medical negligence in healthcare can have devastating consequences. The family of a 28-year-old Toronto woman is suing Trillium Hospitals and Dr. Slezic for negligence after they failed to diagnose a tumor in her heart. Dr. Slezic told Houda Rafle that her CT scans were clear, when she visited the hospital after experiencing a shortness of breath, according to CTV. Eight months later, she passed away after the stage four cancer spread to her brain and lungs. The lawsuit claims that the misdiagnosis prevented Rafle from receiving potentially life-saving treatment, according to CTV News. Unfortunately, emergency room errors happen and missed or delayed diagnoses were one of the top medical malpractice claims, according to a study done by an Ireland Medical School in Dublin. Drug errors were the second most common reason for malpractice claims. According to the Globe and Mail, ten to 15 per cent of patients are misdiagnosed and about 9,000 to 23,000 Canadians die each year from a preventable "adverse event," such as mistakenly prescribed medication and errors in surgery, says a 2004 Canadian study. Hospitals are busy places, but it's within your right to be provided with high-quality healthcare. To help prevent a misdiagnosis, make sure you try to describe your symptoms specifically and even write them down so you can keep track of them. Also, be knowledgeable about the medication you're taking any allergies you may have. Your doctor may have some preconceptions based on his preliminary glance of your overall health, so don't be afraid to politely ask him to consider other alternatives. Dr. Jerome Groopman, author_id of How Doctors Think, told the Globe and Mail some questions to ask, include:

• What else could it be?


• Could two things be happening at once?


• Is there anything in my exam or test results that may contradict your working diagnosis?

After you've been diagnosed, make sure you pay attention to the symptoms your doctor suggests you to watch out for and what should be done if your condition doesn't improve. You have the right to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit if the harm done against you is legitimate. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been handling all types of injuries for over 40 years including injuries from negligent medical workers. We understand the impacts injuries can have on your life and we know how to help you. Call us at 416-920-4242. Set up a free consultation and come talk with us.