What is your hospitals percentage of misdiagnosed strokes? If they don't know they aren't a stroke hospital at all. Run run run away. There should be no subjective diagnosis of stroke at all.
Just maybe you want extremely fast diagnosis, getting the neurologist out of the picture.
Hats off to Helmet of Hope - stroke diagnosis in 30 seconds February 2017
Microwave Imaging for Brain Stroke Detection and Monitoring using High Performance Computing in 94 seconds March 2017
New Device Quickly Assesses Brain Bleeding in Head Injuries - 5-10 minutes April 2017
The latest here:
Treatment injuries for misdiagnosed strokes costing $1.5 million per year
STUFF
Vicky Keen's stroke was misdiagnosed as an anxiety attack by staff at Middlemore Hospital.
ACC is paying out more than $1.5 million in compensation per year for treatment injuries relating to misdiagnosed strokes.
In 2010, ACC spent $540,251 on such claims. A decade later, the yearly bill has soared to $1,593,468.
During this period, the number of active claims for misdiagnosed strokes rose from 10 to 18, meaning the cost per patient nearly doubled.
Ryan Anderson/Stuff-co-nz
Pukekohe resident Vicky Keen's stroke was misdiagnosed as an anxiety attack at Middlemore Hospital
Most of the claims were paid out over multiple years. In total, there
were 33 active claims in the past decade, totalling $10,524,557.
READ MORE:
* Auckland woman's stroke misdiagnosed as anxiety before man died after similar mistake
* Auckland man dies from stroke after being misdiagnosed with a migraine
* Elderly woman had stroke alone and died after issues with health service's safety checks
* Auckland woman's stroke misdiagnosed as anxiety before man died after similar mistake
* Auckland man dies from stroke after being misdiagnosed with a migraine
* Elderly woman had stroke alone and died after issues with health service's safety checks
Auckland stroke victim Vicky Keen, who was misdiagnosed with anxiety at Middlemore Hospital in July 2011, said the figures were disappointing.
“There’s a problem. That’s really, really scary that there’s that much
going on and that people like me are complaining, but we’re not being
heard. It’s still happening,” Keen said.
The mum-of-three was sent home from hospital after doctors
misinterpreted her brain scan, only to be rushed back to the emergency
department hours later after having a second stroke.
The strokes left her with slurred speech and little coordination in her right hand. Her recovery involved months of physio and speech therapy.
ACC accepted her treatment injury claim for loss of income.
Keen’s husband, John Keen, said while Kiwis were lucky to have a
compensation scheme like ACC, when it came to misdiagnosed strokes it
seemed like “the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff”.
Ryan Anderson/Stuff-co-nz
Vicky and John Keen at home.
He wanted to see more investment into preventing strokes in the first place.
Keen was horrified to discover another Middlemore stroke patient, Edwin Donald Amundsen, was misdiagnosed with a migraine and discharged from hospital.
He was also rushed back to hospital, but died.
In a report into Amundsen’s death, coroner Katharine Greig identified
several “missed opportunities” for diagnosis and treatment by multiple
medical staff at the Counties Manukau and Auckland DHBs.
She concluded it was possible Amundsen may have survived if he had the right treatment earlier.
A 33-year-old woman who had two strokes was sent home from Christchurch
Hospital's emergency department three times in four days, despite
vomiting, experiencing vertigo and worsening head and neck pain and
struggling to walk.
Doctors had misdiagnosed her with an ear infection and migraine.
The woman complained to Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony
Hill, who found Canterbury District Health Board’s care of the woman was
substandard.
ACC chief clinical officer Dr John Robson said although it was rare for
strokes to be misdiagnosed, because they could be serious and
life-threatening, survivors sometimes needed support for the rest of
their lives.
While advances in technology had improved treatment options, they were also more expensive.
Rehabilitation for stroke patients funded through ACC could include
home care, transport costs, and physical therapy, depending on their
specific needs.
Some people also received weekly compensation for lost earnings.
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