Articles Tagged With: Diagnostics
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Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Sputum Gram Stains Are Helpful After All!
Researchers analyzed the diagnostic accuracy and yield of sputum Gram stain (SGS) in community-acquired pneumonia across 24 studies of 4,533 adult patients in a meta-analysis. SGS was specific for the diagnosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae infection.
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It Was Too Early to Detect Sepsis: Can Defense Team Prove It?
Sepsis is not always diagnosable, or even present, at the time of an ED visit. All testing performed in the ED may provide negative results. Despite these facts, plaintiffs still may prevail in a missed sepsis lawsuit. -
Appropriate Cardiac Testing in an Inappropriate World, Part 2: Cardiac Tests
This article addresses specifics of the cardiac testing options, considering their appropriate indications, choices of approach, risks, and costs.
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Diagnostic Imaging Trends Among Pregnant Women
This retrospective cohort study estimated that the use of CT scans has increased 3.7-fold in the United States and 2-fold in Ontario, Canada, from 1996 to 2016. Overall, 5.3% of pregnant women in the United States and 3.6% in Ontario underwent imaging with ionizing radiation.
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Appropriate Cardiac Testing in an Inappropriate World
This two-part series will look at the rationale and causes of inappropriate testing and how to select the best, most appropriate cardiac test for each patient. The first part will focus on the theory of ordering tests and strategies to minimize unnecessary testing while the second part will focus on when and how to select each individual test given the patient's clinical scenario.
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SIRS Criteria vs. qSOFA for Predicting Short-term Mortality From Sepsis
A meta-analysis that included 38 studies found the SIRS criteria had a higher sensitivity than qSOFA in predicting short-term mortality from sepsis. SIRS criteria remain useful as a screening tool for sepsis and as a prompt to initiate diagnostic work-up and treatment.
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New Test May Aid in Clinical Management of Vaginitis
A molecular diagnostic test that accurately distinguishes among the three most common causes of vaginitis — bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and vulvovaginal candidiasis — earned Food and Drug Administration market authorization in October 2016 for use by diagnostic laboratories.
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Summit focus: Efforts to improve diagnosis accuracy
Responding to the 2015 Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare report from the Institute of Medicine that placed a public spotlight on the issue of diagnostic accuracy, the American Board of Medical Specialties and the National Patient Safety Foundation recently brought together experts to address the issue.
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Failure to administer diagnostic tests or refer to specialist leads to death, $8.25 million liability
In 2009, a 68-year-old man suffering from arthritis in his knee checked into a hospital for a total knee replacement. Following the surgery, the man complained of confusion and disorientation and became hypoxic and anemic.
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Healthcare is Wrong About Errors
The IOM calls on the healthcare community to address diagnosis errors by treating them as systemic problems and not human errors made by individuals.