10/26/2019 Types of Medical Diagnostic Errors | Nolo

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Types of Medical Diagnostic Errors

(Page 2 of 2 of Medical Malpractice: Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis)

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There are several ways that physicians and other medical professionals can make
diagnostic mistakes.
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Wrong diagnosis. Also called misdiagnosis, this is when the doctor picks the wrong
illness. For example, a doctor diagnoses a patient with a gastric problem when in
fact the patient was having a heart attack. Or, the doctor diagnoses cancer when the
patient is cancer-free.
Missed diagnosis. The doctor gives the patient a clean bill of health, when in fact
the patient has an illness or disease.
Delayed diagnosis. The doctor eventually makes the correct diagnosis, but after
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significant delay. Late diagnosis is one of the more common types of CHAT
diagnosis error.
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Failure to recognize complications. The doctor makes the right diagnosis, but fails
recommendations in your area.
to identify complications or factors which change or aggravate the illness or
condition.
Failure to diagnose a related disease. The doctor correctly diagnoses one disease,
but fails to diagnose a related disease. A related disease is one that often goes

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hand-in-hand with the primary condition or that has a higher risk of incidence in
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Failure to diagnose an unrelated disease. The doctor correctly diagnoses one
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disease, but fails to diagnose a completely unrelated second disease.

Misdiagnosis in the Emergency Room

Not surprisingly, the incidence of misdiagnosis is much higher in emergency settings.
Increased time pressure translates into less time to investigate differential diagnoses. And
the severe nature of many emergency room illnesses and injuries means that a missed or
incorrect diagnosis is more likely to result in harm to the patient.
In an emergency room, less common illnesses and conditions are more likely to escape
correct diagnosis. Conditions that are uncommon in certain patient populations are also
less likely to be correctly diagnosed. For example, a young woman experiencing gastric
distress (one symptom of a heart attack) is less likely to be diagnosed with a heart attack
than an overweight, middle-aged man with the same symptoms.
Examples of conditions that are commonly misdiagnosed in an emergency room include
heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and meningitis. Appendicitis is misdiagnosed in
28% to 57% of children under the age of 12 and in close to 100% of infants. (To learn more
about medical malpractice occurring in emergency settings, see Nolo's article Medical
Malpractice During Emergencies (https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/medical-
malpractice-during-emergencies-29632.html).)
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Getting Help
Medical malpractice cases are highly regulated by complex rules that vary considerably
from state to state, so it's often essential to get advice or representation from an
experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
For help on choosing a good medical malpractice attorney, read Nolo's article Finding a
Personal Injury Lawyer (https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/finding-personal-injury-
lawyer-29840.html). See Nolo's Medical Malpractice Lawyer Directory
(https://www.nolo.com/lawyers/medical-malpractice) to find an attorney in your area.
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