Arizona residents may be interested to learn that a new study indicates that cancer patients do better with certain types of information about their diagnosis. Unfortunately, older studies also indicate that misdiagnosis among cancer patients is common. Studies in 2013 and 2014 found that while nearly 30 percent of all news is not correct, wrong information is particularly common for some types of cancer.
Anyone who has ever stood in line at a pharmacy in Arizona knows that they can be busy places. In addition to filling orders, pharmacists must counsel patients, communicate with insurers and perform other tasks. New research shows that the busier a pharmacist is, the greater likelihood there is of making a mistake.
Arizona patients may have heard horror stories about medical mistakes like wrong-site surgeries or botched prescriptions, but they may not be aware of another common doctor error: misdiagnosis. Studies indicate that physicians get diagnoses wrong 5 to 15 percent of the time, and the consequences can be deadly.
Patients who are misdiagnosed could suffer serious injury or even death. One man was diagnosed with sinusitis when he actually had Ebola, and he infected two nurses after returning to the hospital two days after the initial diagnosis. The man eventually succumbed to the disease.
As many of the state’s residents already know, Arizona’s laws are very lenient when it comes to gun ownership. In fact, compared with other states, Arizona ranks as one of the easiest states for residents wishing to legally obtain a firearm.