In Arizona and other states, people who have been diagnosed with a serious illness may want to research other doctors and seek a second opinion. Friends and family could be helpful in recommending a doctor. The physician a person chooses should have experience with the particular disease with which they have been diagnosed.
A patient in Arizona complaining of abdominal or pelvic pain might have to rely on what a surgeon hears from the radiologist for a diagnosis. When a surgeon suspects a hernia and orders a CT scan, only 7 percent might be detected by the radiologist.
Abdominal pain can have a variety of causes, but issues such as a fever or an inability to move might lead an Arizona resident to seek prompt assistance from a medical provider. Obtaining radiology tests to confirm the suspicion of a hernia can be important, but unfortunately, experts indicate that these tests can often fall short in providing an accurate diagnosis.
Research published in Perspectives on Medical Education found that health care providers may let bias get in the way of a proper diagnosis. However, making assumptions can lead to poor outcomes for patients. At any given time, a medical professional may make judgments or assumptions about a person based on his or her race, class or sexual orientation.
Arizona patients may be interested to learn that an improved procedure has been developed to help prevent wrong-side anesthetic blocks from being performed on patients who are being prepared for surgery. Although wrong-sided blocks are not considered to be as problematic as wrong-sided surgeries, they can still considered to be an invasive surgery and can result in complications.