To diagnose melanoma in California, many doctors use a system called convolutional neural networks. This system analyzes data to determine whether a skin lesion contains melanoma. However, recent research has revealed that this system might not be as foolproof as once thought. In fact, this system has caused multiple misdiagnoses in recent years.
When they studied the system, researchers learned that the system tended to misclassify lesions that weren’t cancerous. In fact, the quality of the image itself could drastically alter the results. A picture taken on an iPhone, an Android or a digital camera could potentially produce three different results even if the lesion itself didn’t change. Researchers suggested that the different results came from different color balances in the screens.
However, this doesn’t mean that this system should be thrown away entirely. Rather, researchers believe that doctors should continue to train the system to become more accurate. They also pointed out that there’s no better way to diagnose skin cancer than by looking at the lesion with the human eye. While this system might not be a replacement for human observation, it can still be useful in diagnosing skin cancer. Still, doctors should be careful as a false diagnosis could result in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Where can you go for help if you’ve suffered from malpractice?
Even a single error in medicine can have catastrophic long-term consequences. You might suffer from a permanent disability or even brain damage. Medical malpractice could make your symptoms worse, and if you’re not diagnosed in time, you might not get the news until it’s too late.
You can’t make up the time that you’ve lost, but an attorney may be able to help you recoup some of the financial damages. Your attorney may also help you hold the physician accountable and possibly prevent them from harming other patients.