Doctors Fail to Check Tests Before Hospital Discharge

A new study suggests that doctors who order tests for patients in the hospital don’t always read the results before the patient is discharged, leaving the patient at risk for dangerous conditions.

Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney looked at 6,736 inpatient admissions and 662,858 individual medical tests, according to Bloomberg. They found that out of those tests, three percent were not reviewed before the patient left the hospital, while seven percent were requested on the day the patient was discharged.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, also found that many of the results had not been reviewed even two months later. The NYU Langone Medical Center said it changed policies last month after a 12-year-old boy passed away following his discharge from the hospital’s emergency room, according to Bloomberg. He reportedly died from septic shock after doctor’s failed to follow-up on blood tests showing he had sepsis.

The authors of the study concluded that doctors need to better manage the tests they order and patients should follow-up to make sure they get the results.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by medical malpractice, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if a medical malpractice lawyer may be able to help you. For legal help, call (800) 581-6358.

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