subject: Medical Misdiagnosis [print this page] Medical malpractice is a term used to describe mistakes that occur in a healthcare setting that result in injury or death. Medical malpractice happens when someone is harmed by a healthcare provider who fails to competently perform their duties.
Most assume medical malpractice is mainly about surgical mistakes. However, misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis is the leading allegation in lawsuits related to breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, heart attack and appendicitis. Misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose and a delayed diagnosis results in a delay in treatment, the wrong treatment, permanent disability and in some cases, death.
Medical misdiagnosis is a serious threat to everyone who must put their lives in the hands of healthcare professionals on a daily basis. Medical treatment does not come with guarantees, but healthcare professionals have a standard of quality of care to uphold. At times, this standard is ignored and patients suffer for it.
Negligence may lead to a deadly medical misdiagnosis. Forty-two per cent of medical patients polled felt they had experienced a medical misdiagnosis. One of the most common medical mistakes is the misdiagnosis of symptoms or the failure to diagnose a condition. A misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis may prevent someone from seeking necessary medical intervention until the disease has advanced to a stage where the prognosis is more severe than it would have been if diagnosed promptly and correctly. Common diseases that are frequently misdiagnosed include:
Breast cancer
Tuberculosis
Lung cancer
Diabetes
Prostate cancer
Cervical cancer
Ovarian cancer
Testicular cancer
Heart attack
Pulmonary embolism
Appendicitis
Patients can protect themselves to some extent from medical misdiagnosis by seeking a second opinion when they receive a diagnosis, by requesting diagnostic tests be repeated and by asking questions and making themselves aware of what symptoms to expect from the disease they have been diagnosed with.
