Diagnostic Errors Are the Most Common Type of Medical Mistake
Missed diagnoses out-ranked medication overdoses and surgical mistakes in causing the most patient harm.
Alexandra Sifferlin
Alexandra Sifferlin is a writer and producer for TIME Healthland. She is a graduate from the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.
Articles from Contributor
How Much Exercise Will It Take to Work Off a Burger? Menus May Soon Tell You
More restaurants display calorie counts on their menus, but what if they also informed you what it would take to burn off those calories?
How Effective Are Non-Drug and Non-Diet Therapies In Lowering Blood Pressure?
Meditation, yoga, aerobic exercise and strength training are popular ways to lower blood pressure, so the latest study compared their effectiveness against common drug and diet treatments.
‘Cinnamon Challenge’ Could Trigger Lasting Lung Damage
Swallowing a tablespoon of the dry spice on a dare could lead to serious health problems, according to the latest report on the practice.
Pushing Teens to Change Their Eating Habits Could Backfire
Parents who exert too much control over what their children eat may not be doing their adolescents any favors when it comes to controlling the youngsters’ weight, according to the latest study.
Food Safety: CDC Report Shows Rates of Foodborne Illnesses Remain Largely Unchanged
About 1 in 6 people in the United States gets sick from eating contaminated food, a rate that has not declined in seven years.
Timing Matters To Make Diet and Exercise Changes Last
When it comes to making healthy lifestyle changes, which should come first — changing your diet or becoming more physically active?
Working Too Hard? Physically Demanding Jobs Tied to Higher Risk of Heart Disease
While physical activity can lower the risk of heart disease, two studies suggest that jobs involving hard manual labor may harm, rather than help the heart.
Fertilizer’s Dangerous Ingredient: The Health Hazards of Ammonia Exposure
A blast at a fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas, raises concerns about exposure to anhydrous ammonia, a potentially deadly gas that is stored at high pressure.
How Exercise Can Moderate Brain Damage Caused By Drinking
Aging and drinking result in similar changes in the brain, and if aerobic exercise can alleviate the age-based damage, could it do the same for alcohol-related harm?
Protecting Against Ricin Exposure: Mail Facility Safeguards “Work”
Screening procedures put in place after 9-11 detected letters testing positive for ricin mailed to the President and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi.
Pared Back Prostate Cancer Screening May Save Lives
Amid questions about how effective blood-based tests for prostate cancer might be, a new study suggests early screening with the test could identify about half of future deaths from the disease.
Researchers Identify Genetic Profile That Predicts Cancer Survival After Chemotherapy
While more effective chemotherapy agents have improved cancer survival, not all patients benefit from the drugs.
