One common type of medical negligence in Ohio involves a delay in diagnosis of an impending or early heart attack. Young people and women are particularly prone to misdiagnosis as physicians remain biased that this is a disease of smokers or older, overweight males. To combat these diagnostic biases, and the often fatal outcomes that come with delays in diagnosing heart attack (also called myocardial infarction or MI), physician groups have come out with numerous guidelines that support thorough evaluation of symptomatic patients, irrespective of their age, weight, sex or other factors.
One set of recommendations, publish by the premier organization of emergency room physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), focuses on patients who are at low probability of having MI based on initial assessment in the ER setting.
Other studies and guidelines exist. For example, the American Heart Association publishes a booklet entitled the Handbook of Emergency Cardiovascular Care for Healthcare Providers. Nonetheless, misdiagnosed MI remains one of the most common sources of malpractice claims in Ohio.
