Attorney
According to the British Medical Journal, diagnostic errors are the main source of medical malpractice lawsuits; however, little is being done to identify such errors and measure their effects.
A research team examined 350,000 medical malpractice allegations from 1986 to 2010. Incorrect, missed, or delayed diagnoses accounted for 29 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits; they accounted for 39 percent of malpractice-related deaths. The study suggests that 10 to 20 percent of deaths are from causes not diagnosed when the patient was alive. By the studies estimates, 40,000 to 80,000 Americans die from missed diagnoses every year.
Examples of diagnostic errors include:
- mistaking an ectopic pregnancy for appendicitis
- an aortic dissection for severe heartburn
- a brainstem stroke for an episode of dizziness
“Diagnostic errors are the most common, the most costly, and the most deadly of all medical errors,” said David E. Newman-Toker, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Consequences of Failure to Diagnose a Serious Medical Condition
Failure by a doctor to diagnose or treat a serious medical condition is considered medical malpractice. If a disease is treatable in its early stages, progression of the disease can mean increased medical bills, extended pain, and suffering, lost time from work, and even death, if the disease is at a stage too advanced to treat.
If you feel that you have been subject to medical malpractice, contact our attorneys today at (202) 659-5500, or visit our website to fill out our online form.
Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia Injury Attorneys