What is the significance of misdiagnosing preterm labor

It appears that the obstetricians who evaluated the woman were required to ask themselves two questions: one, was the woman in labor and if not, two, is this a high-risk pregnancy at weeks gestation? Here, each obstetrician who evaluated the woman after 24 weeks gestation correctly realized that the woman was not in labor. However, the obstetricians failed to consider the next important question in determining how to treat the patient.

Consequently, each obstetrician failed to recommend or provide steroid treatment to the woman despite her being within the week gestation window during multiple hospital visits.

Had the woman been prescribed steroids by one of the evaluating obstetricians, this prescription would have helped prevent the pre-term labor and possibly could have prevented the permanent injuries suffered by the child. By failing to consider both critical questions, the obstetricians and the hospital fell below the established standard of care and were liable for negligence.

This case vividly illustrates how crucial it is for medical professionals to be well aware of the required standards of care in light of their individual specialties. Another important aspect of this case to highlight is the significant damages awarded and what drove the particularly large jury verdict award. Cases involving catastrophic problems to children lend themselves to extremely high damage computations.

The cost of future healthcare comprises a large portion of the economic damages in medical malpractice cases. To estimate the total cost of these damages, attorneys must create a life care plan: a detailed evaluation of the anticipated type of care the plaintiff will need in the future, what quality of care the plaintiff will need, how long the care will need to be provided, and what the estimated cost of this care will be.

These life care plans often are prepared by certified life care planners who create the life care plan estimates and then determine the amounts discounted to present value. In some applicable cases involving children, estimations of how much it would cost to provide education in light of necessary physical accommodations are calculated. Reprints Share. Keywords risk management. Hospital Management. Capozzola , Esq. Law Offices of Damian D.

Los Angeles. A baby may be delivered prematurely for any number of reasons. In some cases, doctor negligence may be a contributing factor.

When a baby is delivered prematurely as a result of physician negligence, the doctor can be sued and held responsible for the consequences to the mother and baby.

Victims of this negligence should contact a Chicago birth injury lawyer right away. The specific causes of premature labor have not been determined. Yet, there are a variety of risk factors that can increase the risk of preterm birth. You may be at greater risk of giving birth prematurely if you have:. You also face a greater likelihood of premature delivery if you are overweight or underweight or have had multiple first-trimester abortions or at least one second-trimester abortion, or if less than six to nine months have passed after a birth and prior to the beginning of your next pregnancy.

If you have any of these risk factors, it is imperative that your doctor monitor you closely to determine if you are showing signs of preterm labor. Women who are experiencing preterm labor must get medical assistance right away. In some cases, the labor can be stopped so the baby can be carried to term or so steroids can be administered to accelerate development. If the labor cannot be stopped, the birth must take place in a hospital that can provide appropriate care for premature babies.

Doctors must provide reasonably competent care for mothers and babies during pregnancy and birth. Unfortunately, in some cases, a doctor may fail to fulfill his duty. These are just some examples of medical malpractice causing or contributing to premature birth. In order to determine if a doctor is responsible for a preterm birth, it is necessary to assess what a reasonable physician would have done.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Glob Health Action v. Glob Health Action. Published online Dec John W. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Associated Data Supplementary Materials Misdiagnosis of obstetrical cases and the clinical and cost consequences to patients: a cross-sectional study of urban providers in the Philippines.

Abstract Background Misdiagnosis may be a significant and under-recognized quality of care problem. Results The prevalence of misdiagnosis among obstetric providers was Conclusion Diagnosis is arguably the most important task a clinician performs because it determines the subsequent course of evaluation and treatment, with the direct and indirect costs of diagnostic error, placing large financial burdens on the patient.

Keywords: misdiagnosis, health outcomes, health costs, Philippines, quality of care, practice variability, obstetrics. Introduction Arguably, the most important clinical judgment made by a provider is labeling a patient with a diagnosis.

Methods Completed in an urban Philippine setting, this study investigated the diagnosis of three common obstetric conditions using the following three CPV vignette case types: cephalopelvic disproportion CPD , post-partum hemorrhage PPH , and pre-eclampsia Pre-Ec.

Data sources The data frame came from the Q B study, carried out in 77 birthing facilities in Quezon City out of a total of eligible facilities; there were 31 refusals. CPV vignettes CPV vignettes are simulated patient cases designed to mimic the doctor—patient clinical interaction.

Conceptual framework Our conceptual framework proposes that the items in the CPV vignettes can be used to identify two different types of errors that lead to misdiagnosis on the part of a clinical decision-maker Fig.

Open in a separate window. Table 1 CPV items and the different error types: the cephalopelvic disproportion vignette. Analysis Study Question 1: What is the overall rate of misdiagnosis and quality of care, as measured by the CPV vignettes, among obstetric providers? Table 2 Primary diagnosis items by CPV case type for physicians. Results In total, patients both with and without complications were included in this study, and these patients saw unique providers, who provided services in 77 facilities in Quezon City.

Overall quality of care and rate of misdiagnosis Question 1 There were 94 midwives and 9 physicians in this study. Impact of exploratory, synthesis, and judgment errors on misdiagnosis Question 2 To determine the provider-level predictors of misdiagnosis, we estimated a two-level random effects logistic regression with providers nested within facilities Table 4. Clinical and monetary costs of complications Question 3b The follow-home survey allowed examination of additional patient-reported outcomes not available in the exit or medical chart, such as post-discharge outcomes, direct costs of care, and lost income see Table 6.

Table 6 Patient outcomes, costs, and income forgone for complication versus non-complications, as reported in the follow-home survey. Discussion This study demonstrates the importance of correct diagnoses in preventing poor clinical outcomes and economic losses to the patient. Conclusions The prevalence of misdiagnosis in this study of urban obstetric providers was notably high: Supplementary Material Misdiagnosis of obstetrical cases and the clinical and cost consequences to patients: a cross-sectional study of urban providers in the Philippines: Click here for additional data file.

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