Medical diagnosis explained

Medical diagnosis refers to the action of determining the nature of the cause of a condition. Simply put, it is the process of determining a person’s symptoms and signs. Medical diagnosis is more of an art than a science. Although it is opened up through scientific scrutiny, diagnosing a patient requires critical observations skills and a little bit of detective work. Medical practitioners have to be patient, to know how to listen and take in a great deal of information. Unfortunately, sometimes they miss health conditions. A failure or delay in determining of which condition a patient suffers is called misdiagnosis. Nowadays, many medical malpractice lawsuits stem from misdiagnosis. If you are thinking about making a personal injury claim, visit Read on to learn more about the diagnostic process and what the causes of failure.

The process of medical diagnosis

A medical diagnosis is not the same thing as a nursing diagnosis. While the former deals with diseases or medical conditions, the latter is concerned with human response to health issues. Sometimes, doctors sometimes need to conduct multiple tests to figure out what the patient is suffering from. Even though diagnosing a patient is considered an art, this does not mean that it does not involve a sequence of phases.

  1. Pre-analytic phase

It takes place in the laboratory, where most errors occur. The vulnerability lies in the number of tests that clinicians are required to make. They have to collect sample, identify patients, prepare samples and test specimens. If clinicians are careless, then problems and errors occur. This is why rigorous control systems are set in place. Nonetheless, mistakes, like choosing the wrong collection container, still take place.

  1. Analytic phase

The quality of the analytical phase is crucial. If the laboratory results are not correctly interpreted and verified by the technologist, then blunders occur and the patient’s safety is at risk. The analytical phase implies making sure that the tests have clinical validity. Medical decisions are made based on the reports, which is why it is important to examine performance and accuracy.

  1. Post-analytic phase

This last phase implies validating analytical data. Post-analytic testing can result in many errors. Clinicians completely ignore re-examining the results, thinking that it is not necessary. If laboratory information is partly used, it is not surprising that mistakes like manual transmission errors or improper turn-around time are not identified.

Medical diagnosis is a challenging procedure

Diagnosing diseases is far from being easy. The reason for this is that patients rarely have clear symptoms, so confusing one medical condition for the other is possible. Therefore, a disease is identified when the patient has no such ailments or, worse, the medical diagnosis is not classified correctly. Reasons that can lead to misdiagnosis are malfunctioning equipment, the patient’s refusal to share critical information, and, of course, the language barrier. If the failure or delay to diagnose is the result of the medical practitioner’s carelessness, you can sue under the theory of medical negligence. Misdiagnosis is negligence.  

What does it cost to go to an emergency dentist?

Visiting a dentist with regularity for standard dental care check ups is something that should not be neglected. However, due to negligence or lack of time, many people prolong the need of booking a dental appointment until they deal with a serious issue, such as tooth ache. When a situation of this kind arises, the next step is contacting an emergency dentist. You probably know by now that emergency appointments are a bit more expensive than regulars ones, and this aspect might come as an inconvenience. To learn a bit more on the topic, keep reading: 

Why are emergency dental appointments more expensive?

It is a known fact that an emergency dentist appointment might more expensive than your regular dental care check up. However, many patients do not understand the payment difference, and because of the, they sometimes even leave a serious problem unattended. Well, when an emergency appears, the dentist needs to find the time to help you with your dental problems, even if their schedule might already be busy. Emergencies are not exactly convenient for dentists to fit in their schedule, and this is the first reason why a higher fee will be demanded. Moreover, in most situations, urgent issues, such as unbearable tooth pain, also require more time to be fixed, and because time means money in any industry, a fee difference is understandable. Also, the specialist might have to attend you outside their working hours, so you should understand why paying more for their service is necessary.

Payment plan

Because you can never know when an emergency arises, you might not be financially prepared for a dental intervention, so you should find yourself a dentist who can provide you with an advantageous payment plan. Although emergency dentists require a higher fee, they can also put at your disposal the possibility of opting for a monthly payment plan, which means you will not be required to pay the entire amount of money upfront, but over time. This can be a great benefit, especially if your budget might not allow you to spend a lot of money on dental care right away.

Good dental care is worth paying for

Regardless of your financial situation, when it comes to dental fixtures, saving money should not be your concern. You will manage to find yourself a clinic that provides you with a cheap alternative, but the quality of service will probably be a poor one. So, when looking for an emergency dental clinic, do not make price one of your selection factors.

Although visiting a dentist with regularity is necessary, to avoid emergencies , sometimes situations of this kind can appear, and being consulted dentist on short notice is necessary. Even if the fees might be a bit more expensive than regular appointments scheduled with enough time in advance, if you find a reputable clinic to resort to, you can benefit from affordable payments plan. All in all, when it comes to the health of your teeth, money should not be one of your considerations, and any emergency should be immediately taken care of, regardless of costs. If you are not having any problems at the moment, just look for a good dental clinic and book yourself an appointment for a check-up. Perhaps this way you can avoid a possible emergency.

Gas Poisoning – Symptoms and Treatment

Gas poisoning is a common cause of death worldwide especially because carbon monoxide is odorless and can hardly be detected without a special device. In order to keep you and your family safe, you must know which are the gas poisoning, how can you tell if you are in danger and what can you do to treat its effects. Read the following article and increase your precautions when it comes to gas poisoning.


Carbon monoxide is what causes gas poisoning and it’s something you have all heard about. It is formed when organic compounds burn but it’s odorless, tasteless, and colorless, which is what makes it so dangerous. If you can smell gas and you can know if you have gas leaks at home, things are different when it comes to carbon monoxide because you can sit in a room with carbon monoxide without knowing it. The most common source is the smoke caused by burning wood, which is also the main death cause in gas poisoning. Gas heaters, kerosene heaters, charcoal grills, vehicles’ exhausts, as well as strong paints and solvents also create carbon monoxide that is extremely dangerous when inhaled.


Not being able to detect carbon monoxide by smelling or seeing it means that you have to be very careful to the signs your body will show you in case of gas poisoning. The only way you can tell whether or not there is carbon monoxide in your house is to pay attention to how you feel. The most common symptoms of gas poisoning include headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, vomiting, and shortness of breath in the early stages. As the poisoning gets more intense, you will start feeling abdominal pain, chest pain, agitation, confusion, and hallucinations. The symptoms can even include impaired judgment, walking problems, fainting, seizure, and visual changes.


The first thing you have to do to avoid gas poisoning is to limit the use of dangerous items that can create carbon monoxide. You must avoid heating your house with gas heaters and opt for a safer version like the infrared heater that has no harmful emission while operating. Never fall asleep in a room heated with a gas heater because the consequences can be deadly. Prevention is the best way of treating gas poisoning because there is no home therapy available for these cases. In case you experience any of these symptoms and you know there is a risk of carbon monoxide in your house, you must immediately seek the help of a doctor.

Health Effects of Eating Spoiled Food

Eating spoiled food is a dangerous risk to take, as symptoms can range from none to severe, depending on what you eat and for how long it was expired. For example, eating a cucumber one day after it expires usually won’t cause any health issues, while eating a piece of meat three weeks past its expiration date can buy you an express ticket to the emergency room.

Some of the symptoms caused by eating bad foods include nausea, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Foods that have been out of the refrigerator for a long period of time can develop bacteria and start causing symptoms usually 6 hours after ingestion. Of course, if the infection is not serious or your immune system is very strong, your body might be able to deal with the problem on its own and not exhibit any symptoms.

Bacteria and parasites

Foodborne illness is caused by ingesting contaminated food with organisms such as parasites and bacteria. Contamination can occur during the production of food or during processing and storing. Foods such as chicken meat, pork, hamburger meat and egg dishes are some of the items more prone to bacteria and parasitic infection. Because the symptoms can mimic diseases such as chronic digestion issues and inflammatory bowel disease, it is important to consult a health care professional.

Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is caused by eating expired or contaminated food. Signs and symptoms vary, according to the type of poisoning and include frequent vomiting, stomach cramping, dizziness, fever, diarrhea and dehydration. The symptoms can last between days or weeks, depending on how severe the poisoning is. Some improperly stored or expired foods can even become infected with listeria or salmonella, which require immediate medical care.


Mold is a more obvious sign of food which is past expiry date. Mold contaminates food through spores from different types of fungi which land on food and start growing. As they develop, some molds produce toxins such as mycotoxins which can grow on grapes, celery, grapes, nuts, apples and other produce. These toxins can cause headaches, nausea, itchiness and dizziness.

Keeping your Refrigerator Clean

According to medical specialists, food poisoning often happens because people ingest spoiled food due to improper refrigeration. Make sure your refrigerator doesn’t turn in a food museum by checking the labels of products and throwing away ones which have passed expiry date. Clean your refrigerator regularly to prevent bold and bacteria growth, especially after noticing contaminated food in the boxes. When you buy new food, rotate the stock by placing new behind old products.