There are many aspects of medical care that people cannot manage on their own. Individuals can take over-the-counter medications to control certain symptoms. They can monitor themselves for an elevated body temperature or heart rate.
However, people need the intervention of a licensed physician to access prescription medication or specialized medical testing. People also generally need the help of a doctor to diagnose them. Individuals who try to figure out the underlying cause of their medical conditions may reach inaccurate conclusions if they search their symptoms on the internet.
A doctor’s expertise and access to specialized medical equipment can give them better insight into the underlying cause of specific symptoms. People trust that doctors can quickly and accurately diagnose them and then recommend an appropriate course of treatment. Unfortunately, diagnostic errors are incredibly common.
How often do doctors make diagnostic errors?
Quantifying the number of diagnostic errors that occur is very difficult. Healthcare professionals may not even realize that they made a mistake, and if they do, they likely do not want to admit it.
There are two main types of diagnostic errors. Doctors may fail to diagnose patients. They may ignore symptoms and determine that there is no real medical issue to address. Other times, they may misdiagnose a patient by deciding that a specific condition caused the symptoms when another medical issue is actually to blame.
Both misdiagnosis and a failure to diagnose patients can lead to poor outcomes for those in need of treatment. Patients might undergo the wrong type of treatment. They could then be at risk of having adverse reactions to unnecessary care.
If they don’t receive a diagnosis at all, they may not receive any treatment either. Their condition may then continue to worsen. A failure to diagnose or a delay in diagnosis can be particularly concerning in cases involving progressive medical conditions, including severe infections and cancer.
Unfortunately, diagnostic errors are relatively common. Research shows that diagnostic errors account for 17% of major medical errors in a hospital setting. Reviews of post-mortem reports after autopsy examinations have found that 9% or nearly one in 10 uncovered major medical issues that went undiagnosed while the individual was alive.
Patients may only discover a diagnostic error when they see another physician later. Families may learn about diagnostic errors after a loved one dies because of autopsy results. In such scenarios, a medical malpractice lawsuit may be possible.
Holding doctors and their employers accountable for the consequences of delayed diagnosis or other diagnostic errors can lead to compensation for the people harmed. A successful malpractice lawsuit might also change how a doctor treats patients or how a healthcare facility oversees the diagnostic process.