Seven Sloppy Uses of Medical Tests
Title:
Seven Sloppy Uses of Medical Tests
Word Count:
884
Summary:
Medical tests are valuable in diagnosing illnesses and monitoring treatments. However, used un
Keywords:
medical test,scan,misuse,error,judgment,faint,epilepsy,seizure,migraine,parkinson,fibromyalgia
Article Body:
Even excellent tools can be mis-used. Here are seven "sins" of medical testing:
1. Ordering the wrong test for the right condition.
If I had a nickel for every time a doctor ordered a carotid artery test in a patient with a fa
2. Treating the test instead of the patient.
There are situations in which a tool gets confused with a goal. One example of this is in the
The goals of seizure treatment are simple -- no seizures and no side-effects. What could be mo
3. Using a test as a substitute for interacting with the patient.
I have great respect for emergency physicians. Having done emergency work myself, I know it’s
4. Ordering irrelevant tests.
There are certain tests -- like a chloride level in spinal fluid or blood-levels of some of th
5. Forgetting that tests are imperfect.
All tests -- from high-tech scans to lowly blood measurements -- have false-positives (overcal
6. Forgetting that there aren’t tests for every medical condition.
When patients report hard-to-diagnose symptoms to their doctors, medical tests are often order
7. Failing to order tests that could affect treatment.
One axiom of medical management is that a test should only be done if its different outcomes w
It is tragic when a patient develops progressive memory loss and confusion. But it’s even more
(C) 2006 by Gary Cordingley
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Developed by SANFACE Software http://www.sanface.com/
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Seven Sloppy Uses of Medical Tests
Word Count:
884
Summary:
Medical tests are valuable in diagnosing illnesses and monitoring treatments. However, used un
Keywords:
medical test,scan,misuse,error,judgment,faint,epilepsy,seizure,migraine,parkinson,fibromyalgia
Article Body:
Even excellent tools can be mis-used. Here are seven "sins" of medical testing:
1. Ordering the wrong test for the right condition.
If I had a nickel for every time a doctor ordered a carotid artery test in a patient with a fa
2. Treating the test instead of the patient.
There are situations in which a tool gets confused with a goal. One example of this is in the
The goals of seizure treatment are simple -- no seizures and no side-effects. What could be mo
3. Using a test as a substitute for interacting with the patient.
I have great respect for emergency physicians. Having done emergency work myself, I know it’s
4. Ordering irrelevant tests.
There are certain tests -- like a chloride level in spinal fluid or blood-levels of some of th
5. Forgetting that tests are imperfect.
All tests -- from high-tech scans to lowly blood measurements -- have false-positives (overcal
6. Forgetting that there aren’t tests for every medical condition.
When patients report hard-to-diagnose symptoms to their doctors, medical tests are often order
7. Failing to order tests that could affect treatment.
One axiom of medical management is that a test should only be done if its different outcomes w
It is tragic when a patient develops progressive memory loss and confusion. But it’s even more
(C) 2006 by Gary Cordingley
This is a demo version of txt2pdf v.10.1
Developed by SANFACE Software http://www.sanface.com/
Available at http://www.sanface.com/txt2pdf.html