The school year has begun at many colleges and universities in Iowa and across the country. While many classes will be digital due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most American colleges are reopening their campuses to students. If you have a son or daughter in college, that could mean they will soon be going to the university health center when they feel seriously ill.
But if a report by The Washington Post is correct, your student’s university may not be providing reasonable medical care to him or her. In fact, your child could be at a significant risk of having a serious illness getting misdiagnosed.
Study suggests widespread negligent care at universities
The Post examined the quality of health care available to students at about 1,700 four-year college campuses, using medical records, interviews, court records and online reviews. They found several cases of substandard care, such as being forced to wait days or weeks for an appointment. More seriously, reporters found several instances of doctors or nurses misdiagnosing seriously ill students. One student at Duke University was told by a nurse after a brief examination that her abdominal pain was due to indigestion. Days later, the student was rushed to the Emergency Room and diagnosed with a hemorrhage in her kidney caused by a tumor.
College students deserve decent medical care
In the middle of a pandemic, it is crucial that universities provide their student bodies high-quality, reliable medical care. A misdiagnosis due to a careless examination could lead to disaster.
If your child is the victim of medical malpractice while at an Iowa college or university, they will need to know if they have a viable legal claim for damages. Talking to an experienced medical malpractice attorney can clarify a lot of things.