It is a situation that happens far too often. A family member starts having chest pains. She tells her treating physician who thinks she has heartburn and he recommends taking some antacids. Some time passes and the chest pain persists. Doctors still have not identified the root cause and have instead tried to mask the pain by prescribing various painkillers. Sure, this helps mask the pain, but the underlying issue still exists. Fast-forward two months and this family member is now hospitalized. After a week of doctors in the hospital scratching their heads and pumping narcotics into her system, they finally requested a cardiology consult. The cardiologist comes in, identifies the problem, and finally places the patient on the correct cardiac medications. Unfortunately, it is to late as the damage to the heart is already done.
Painkillers: Are They Actually Causing More Pain?
The prescription of opioid painkillers, such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin, is a popular way for doctors to treat chronic non-malignant medical conditions, such as lower back pain. Recently, however, the effectiveness of such treatment has been called into question. A disturbing new trend reveals that there is actually very weak evidence that opioid painkillers are safe or effective for the long-term treatment of non-malignant pain. Moreover, these drugs are highly addictive and can produce significant states of depression and anxiety.
The Danger in Letting Hospitals Decide What is a "Medical Record"
Have you ever called a customer service number trying to find out the answer to a question only to be transferred to ten different departments and spending 2 hours on what was supposed to be a 5 minute phone call? Well, this process may become the norm for patients seeking to obtain their medical records depending on the Ohio Supreme Court's decision in Griffith v. Aultman Hospital.
