Swelling and redness in a lower extremity that is accompanied by chills and a fever might indicate to a New York health care provider that a patient is dealing with a case of cellulitis. However, a Massachusetts study presents reason for caution in this area because of the prevalence of misdiagnosis related to the disease. Researchers evaluated the records of approximately 260 individuals and found that nearly one-third of them did not actually suffer from this serious condition.

Public awareness efforts to educate New York women about signs of breast cancer may focus on lump detection through personal breast checks each month. However, less common symptoms could be just as serious. In fact, some breast cancer cases lack any breast-related signs. Because of these possibilities, additional facets might be warranted in education efforts to ensure that possible breast cancer cases are evaluated as quickly as possible.

New Yorkers who are at risk for breast cancer might be interested in learning about some breakthroughs in cancer research that could potentially have major impacts on the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. While there still is no cure for cancer, these advances could bring the world closer to discovering one.

New York residents who suffer from rare diseases face several obstacles. These illnesses may have less research devoted to them. Since they are rare, doctors often misdiagnose these conditions or a correct diagnosis is delayed, leading to potential harm.

New York residents who suffer from breathing problems may want to know that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded a $1.5 million grant to analyze the use of spirometry testing and the effect of diagnostic error on patient outcomes. Contributing factors to the bestowing of the grant were studies that indicated 30 to 50 percent of patients may be given a misdiagnosis of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

When geriatric patients in New York and around the country return to their nursing homes after a hospitalization, they enter a danger zone for medical errors. When the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services studied data from 2014 about these patient transfers, researchers discovered that close to 25 percent of the people with complicated medical conditions experienced harm within a few days after returning to their nursing facilities. Inadequate follow-up care or monitoring and medication mistakes accounted for the majority of these incidents.

People depend on doctors to provide reliable health care. Unfortunately, many individuals across New York and the rest of the United States are faced with misdiagnoses every year. This leads to patients undergoing sometimes expensive and dangerous treatments that do them no good.

September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in New York as well as across the country and around the world. The purpose of this annual event is to provide parents and caregivers with information about the different types of cancers that children can contract as well as to raise funds for research and support.