Misdiagnosis

Misdiagnosis

There are three types of diagnostic error when it comes to medical negligence claims;

1. Failure to diagnose in which the symptoms are not diagnosed at all, simply failing to spot and identify the issue at hand and as a consequence no treatment given
2. Incorrect diagnosis whereby the wrong illness has been concluded leading to the wrong treatment being administered, which could end up being even more harmful
3. Late diagnosis in which the symptoms are diagnosed beyond a reasonable time lapse

Several factors can lead to these diagnostic errors, symptoms can be confused for another illness and because a doctor did not conduct a thorough examination the correct conclusion hasn’t been reached. Many diseases share similar symptoms therefore performing the most tests as possible is essential in attempting to figure out what the patient is suffering from.

The likelihood of misdiagnosis is higher when the patient is attended to by an inexperienced unsupervised medical junior. Another common cause is misreading test results such as x-rays, smears, biopsies, MRI scans and tissue samples because of faulty lab equipment or human error. In some cases a lab technician who administers the test inappropriately resulting in the doctor’s misdiagnosis can be held liable.

An incorrect diagnosis can lead to delayed treatment creating a scenario whereby a greater amount of physical and psychological trauma increases especially when it comes to the point where it is discovered what is actually wrong.

A late diagnosis can result in an illness progressing to being beyond help. If the diagnosis hadn’t been delayed the patient may have survived given the appropriate treatment or at least not suffered needlessly.

Misdiagnosis on its own is not necessarily considered negligent behaviour and not all diagnostic errors conclude in a successful claim. Even highly experienced competent medical professionals make mistakes being human after all, instead it is the misdiagnosis resulting in a worsening of the patient’s condition in order for the negligence to be actionable. Although it all sounds complicated a misdiagnosis claim can be straightforward if handled correctly. Call us free of charge and speak to our experienced team who will help every step of the way.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your misdiagnosis claim – either by calling us free on 0800 122 3130, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.