People living in Ohio may have heard that misdiagnosis is a common problem in the U.S. health care industry. To help combat the issue, physician-focused health apps are being developed to help doctors improve their diagnostic accuracy. However, until now, none of these apps have been evaluated to determine if they really help patients.

Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention teamed up to assess the CDC’s PTT Advisor app. The app was created to help doctors make better diagnostic decisions when assessing patients with potential bleeding and coagulation disorders.

To test the PTT Advisor app, the researchers created eight difficult clinical scenarios based on real cases and recruited 46 doctors to diagnose them. Each of the doctors diagnosed four cases using the app and four cases using traditional clinical decision resources. The study found that the doctors were 13 percent more accurate and 51 seconds faster when using the app than when using traditional decision-making resources. The doctors who participated in the study also reported that they thought the app would help patients. The researchers hope that others will use their evaluation method to assess future physician-focused mobile health apps.

A misdiagnosed patient might find relief by contacting Columbus, Ohio, medical malpractice injury lawyers about their case. The attorneys may gather medical records, expert testimony and other evidence to prove their client suffered a worsened medical condition due to doctor error. If the case is successful, it might yield a financial settlement that covers medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other related damages. If a misdiagnosed patient dies, his or her family may also be entitled to compensation for their costs.

Source: Medical Xpress, “Study finds use of mobile app improved physician lab test ordering and diagnosis,” April 25, 2018