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Misdiagnosis & Failure to Diagnose
A proper diagnosis is the first step to effective medical treatment. A patient’s entire treatment plan suffers when a doctor fails to get that crucial first step right. In some cases, these delays are unavoidable. If an illness causes unusual symptoms or mimics another illness, diagnostic errors are to be expected.
But when a doctor has all of the information they need in front of them and still makes the wrong call, you may have a failure to diagnose a malpractice suit. Call KNR at 1-800-HURT-NOW.
What is Failure to Diagnose and Who’s Liable?
Failure to diagnose and misdiagnosis issues arise when a doctor either completely misdiagnoses an ailment or waits so long to diagnose an issue that a patient’s condition worsens. Generally, liability lies with the treating doctor when there is a valid misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose a claim.
Doctors are expected to utilize everything available to them to secure an accurate diagnosis. This includes patients’ reported symptoms, a variety of diagnostic tests, and reports from other medical professionals.
Examples of Failure to Diagnose
Although any disease or illness can be misdiagnosed, there are some that are commonly missed. Some frequently missed or delayed diagnoses include:
- Colorectal cancer
- Lung cancer
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Myocardial infarction
- Stroke
- Sepsis
- Embolia pulmonar
- Brain hemorrhage
A missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis may be the result of many types of medical errors, including:
- Failing to get a patient’s full medical background and consequently missing information that would have led to an accurate diagnosis
- Dismissing a patient’s reported symptoms or assuming that a patient is exaggerating their symptoms
- Misreading the results of a diagnostic exam
- Failing to order appropriate diagnostic exams
- Assuming a diagnosis and failing to consider any other options
- Accurately diagnosing one health issue but missing another one
Injuries and Complications
A misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose an illness can have severe or fatal consequences. Possible outcomes include:
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- The patient begins treatment for the incorrect diagnosis. This can cause a patient to spend money on unnecessary and unhelpful treatment. This incorrect treatment can also cause unpleasant side effects or cause harm to the patient.
- The correct diagnosis is eventually reached, but not before the medical condition worsened. As a result, the patient could be forced to endure more pain and unpleasant symptoms as the disease progresses. Furthermore, treatment may take longer or be less effective because of the diagnostic delay.
- The patient has more limited treatment options because of the delay in diagnosis. Some treatment options are only available at specific stages of a disease. A lag in diagnosis could make these options unavailable to patients. Consider, for example, some types of cancer. Radiation or surgery could be effective at early stages of some types of cancer. These treatments target specific parts of the body and limit side effects to the rest. However, if the cancer is not detected until much later, the patient may be forced to try chemotherapy or immunotherapy, both of which affect the entire body.
- The patient is left with permanent injuries. Some medical conditions, like stroke and heart attack, rely on immediate detection and treatment. A delayed diagnosis could cause permanent damage to the patient’s health. While the patient may live, they are likely to have permanent deficits in certain areas.
- The patient passes away before they could be diagnosed or begin treatment. Tragically, some patients pass away as a result of a missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
In some cases, patients can eventually fully recover from the missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. However, they are likely to spend a substantial amount of money and time getting to that point. In others, their lives are cut short or forever changed.
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