Toll Free: 1 800 752 0042
Practice Areas
- Auto Accidents
- Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Wrongful Death Claims
- Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
Firm News
- Surgeon sues his own Spinal Surgeon for Medical Malpractice, Alleges Back Surgery Medical Negligence
- Single-Vehicle Tanker Trailer Crash Kills One
- Teen Driver Killed by Garbage Truck
- I-81 Tractor Trailer Accident
- Two Williamsburg, Va., Teens Killed in Crash
- John Cooper is Elected Chair of the Railroad Law Section of the American Association for Justice
- Trucker Health Problems Could Cause Collisions
- Truckers: Know your English or Pay the Fine
- Toxic Heavy Metal in Chesapeake, VA Water?
- The Jere Beasley Report – June 2008 “Jury returns verdict of $8,000,000 for seaman”
Library
Auto Accidents
- High traffic and bad driving cause headaches and accidents
- Road Fatalities Fall as Gas Rises
- Hazardous Road Conditions in Chesapeake, Virginia (VA) Seriously Injuring Motorists
Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Train Accident in Massachusetts Caused by Speed and Possibly Cell Phone
- The Higher Duty Owed by Railroads
- What Not To Do In A Railroad Accident
Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Head injury: forgotten trauma
- Spinal cord injuries are frightening.
- Hurrican Katrina: Seventeen Months and Counting
Wrongful Death Claims
- Having A Good Support Staff Is Key To Being A Strong Personal Injury And F.E.L.A. Law Firm
- Confidentiality Agreements Keep Information About Personal Injury Settlements From The Public
- Videotaping Lay Witnesses Can Be A Powerful Settlement Tool In Personal Injury And Death Cases
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- BREAST IMPLANT CASE WINS SUPREME COURT APPEAL
- Five Tips for Choosing a Cardiologist
- Stroke Symptoms & Diagnosis
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- FMCSA Hours of Service Regulations
- Six Things You Must Remember if You're in a Truck Accident
- Top 10 Causes of 18-Wheeler Accidents
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- INSURANCE COMPANIES CONTINUE TO OVERCHARGE CUSTOMERS AND UNDERPAY CLAIMS
- North Carolina's Court System
- Boating accidents and injuries in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA)
Firm Newsletters
General
New book helps doctors and patients avoid medical malpractice.
A fascinating book just came out in 2007 written by a Dr. Jerome Groopman called How Doctors Think. The purpose of this book is to show doctors and especially patients how physicians are taught to diagnose medical conditions and how they actually do it in practice. As a personal injury lawyer for 28 years focusing especially on Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC) medical malpractice cases, I found this book quite useful in thinking about the problem of misdiagnosis that may cause the death of a patient or serious injury.Dr. Groopman in his book clarifies that there is a difference in medical errors caused by technical and administrative error and the problem of misdiagnosis. Medical error of the technical or administrative sort would be problems like reading an x-ray backward, operating on the wrong limb, or administering medication incorrectly because someone read a prescription wrong. The misdiagnosis problem leading to medical malpractice that Dr. Groopman discusses in his book has more to do with how doctors fail to think clearly and accurately about the patient presenting before them. Essentially the book is about how things like a doctors emotions can cause a mistake in diagnosis. For example, if a doctor really likes a patient, he may be hesitant to do an invasive procedure which may cause that patient pain or discomfort. Likewise if a doctor really doesn’t like the patient, for example thinks they are chronic drunk who is failing to take care of himself, they may stop listening and treating the patient's problems as real. Other mental errors that the doctor discusses in his book are jumping too quickly to a decision about what is wrong with the patient without considering things other than what may be most likely, thereby missing a more unusual but potentially catastrophic medical problem.
One thing I liked about the book is how it shows patients how they can potentially help their doctors to avoid mental mistakes leading to misdiagnosis. For example, the author recommends that when you are with your doctor you should ask them, “what is the worst thing that this could be?” This question if asked in a respectful way could cause the doctor to pull back and consider other parts of a differential diagnosis with more serious outcomes rather than fail to think about all possibilities. Dr. Groopman in his book also says that if you do not think your doctor likes you, then he would recommend changing physicians. When the doctor does not want to deal with you for whatever reason, he is probably not thinking about your medical situation as clearly and unemotionally as he needs to. This book How Doctors Think is on the New York Times bestseller list. This does not surprise me as I found it a good read both as a lay person who is a patient and a practicing medical malpractice lawyer. It got me thinking as a personal injury lawyer how I can apply this insider's perspective on medical errors in diagnosis to my cases.
Free Reports
Quick Contact
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton, P.C.
1294 Diamond Springs Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Toll Free: (800) 752.0042
Phone: (757) 460-7776
Fax: (757) 460.3428
Case Results
Auto Accidents
- Pedestrians Stuck by Automobile Recover $540,000.00
- Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome brings verdict of $170,000.00
- Crosswalk Accident With Broken Leg Settles For $227,000.00
- Soft Tissue Injuries Caused by Auto Accident
- Serious Auto Accident Causes Death of Infant
Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Railroad-Roadway Crossing Accident - Car Passengers Injured
- FELA
- AMTRAK ENGINEER SETTLES WITH AMTRAK AND CSX OVER DERAILMENT
- Locomotive Engine Fire causes Rail Engineer right arm and wrist surgery
- Shoulder Injury requiring surgery for Locomotive Engineer
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- Gallbladder Surgery Error
- Medical Negligence
- Pharmacy-Prescription Error
- Gastric Bypass (stomach stapling) Surgery complications
- Retained Surgical Sponge and Subsequent Complications
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Collision Between Two Big Rigs Creates Fireball
- Automobile Accident Causing Coma and Paralysis
- Virginia Automobile Accident
- MACK truck wreck causes leg fractures
- Automobile wreck with drunk driver causes connective tissue injury
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- Department Store Shelf Falls on Customer
- Pilot Suffers Electrical Shock Injury At Hotel Ending Commercial Pilot’s Career--Settlement Soon Before Federal Court Jury Trial
Other
- Hotel Guest-Glass Coffee Carafe Shatters-Hand Injury
- Faulty Product - Fiberglass Stepladder Failure
- Skiing Accident
FAQs
Auto Accidents
- What should I do if I am involved in a car accident?
- I was in a car crash. How quickly do I have to find an attorney and file a lawsuit?
- What is the minimum car insurance I'm allowed to carry in my state?
- What is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and why should I think about having it?
- Does my state have a primary enforcement law for seat belts?
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
General
- Do I really need a lawyer?
- Can I afford to get into a lawsuit?
- How long will the whole process take?
- What if I do not want to go to court because I am getting nervous about testifying?
- How much am I likely to recover when in court?