by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
You know the term “hedging your bets”? Basically, it’s defined by Oxford as “doing something to protect yourself against future problems.” It turns out that when doctors are not 100 per cent sure of the medical diagnosis they are about to share with a patient, researchers who study “diagnostic uncertainty” suggest that these docs tend to start hedging.
Continue reading ““Hedging” during diagnostic uncertainty”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
The Emergency physician who misdiagnosed my heart attack displayed not even a whiff of uncertainty while delivering that misdiagnosis. “YOU” – he declared confidently – “are in the right demographic for acid reflux!” (without any gastrointestinal diagnostic tests). He sent me home that day with instructions to ask my family doctor to prescribe antacid drugs for my symptoms (central chest pain, nausea, sweating and pain down my left arm). I now suspect that, if only that confident doc would have bothered to Google my symptoms, both he and Dr. Google would have landed on the same search result: myocardial infarction (heart attack).
But in fact, he seemed remarkably certain despite being remarkably wrong. . Continue reading “Diagnostic Uncertainty vs. Unwarranted Certainty: which is worse for patients?”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
My interest in women’s misdiagnosed heart attacks began after my own misdiagnosed heart attack. Despite textbook cardiac symptoms of central chest pain, nausea, profuse sweating and pain down my left arm, I was confidently told: “You’re in the right demographic for acid reflux!” – and sent home from the Emergency Department.
I know that, had I been appropriately diagnosed and treated on that fateful day, I’d have little interest in this topic. But I wasn’t. So I do. . . Continue reading “Women’s heart attacks (still!) more likely misdiagnosed than men’s”
by Carolyn Thomas ♥ @HeartSisters
Marilyn Gardner, in her 2014 book called “Between Worlds: Essays on Culture and Belonging“) wrote about a compelling conversation she once had:
Yet our physicians aren’t trained to embrace our stories, but instead to ask right away, “What brings you here today?” to kick-start a brief Q&A that can most efficiently solve the diagnostic mystery sitting across from them. . . Continue reading ““The doctors want my symptoms but not my stories””
Heart Sisters 