Misdiagnosis Explained: How and Why It Happens

A failure to diagnose (or the misdiagnosis of your symptoms) can lead to devastating results. If you pursued care from a healthcare provider and were not diagnosed because procedures were not properly followed, you may be left with serious injuries and crippling medical costs.

Delayed diagnosis can prevent you from receiving critical medical treatment that may not be an option in the later stages of your illness. A timely diagnosis can be as important as a correct diagnosis in preventing further injury. How many American deaths could have been prevented with a more timely or accurate diagnosis?

Early detection and diagnosis of many diseases are also critical to the long-term impact. Many treatments are most effective before the disease spreads. When a doctor fails to recognize or misunderstands symptoms, they may prevent the tests or referral to a specialist, which could lead to the early treatment necessary for recovery.

What Is Misdiagnosis or Failed Diagnosis?

Misdiagnosis is a form of malpractice where medical professionals fail to recognize and order treatment for a condition. This can happen for many reasons that will be covered shortly. First, you should understand the serious risks of misdiagnosis. 

The Risks of Misdiagnosis

If a physician fails to order appropriate diagnostic tests, interpret the test results properly, order an urgent intervention, request a follow-up, or make a referral to a specialist, the diagnosis and subsequent treatment could be irreparably delayed.

To use just one condition as an example, many types of cancer (including breast, prostate, and colorectal) have early screening tests and procedures that govern when they should be used.

If these screenings are not performed properly or on an appropriate schedule or the results are grossly misinterpreted, the medical professional’s possible negligence could lead to premature death. This is true not only for cancer, but for conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure as well. 

In some cases, a general practitioner may go against the interests of the patient to protect the financial interests of the insurance agency, often leading to devastating results as the cancer spreads.

If a disease or disorder isn’t diagnosed shortly after symptoms are present, treatment may be less successful and lead to a serious decrease in the patient’s quality of life or an untreatable disease.

Common Causes of Misdiagnosis or Failed Diagnosis

A medical problem may receive the wrong diagnosis for many reasons. Unavoidable human error is always possible in medicine, but sometimes, the causes are doctors disregarding patient safety or neglectful practices used across an entire healthcare system.  

A failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis sometimes occurs because a family physician or emergency room doctor fails to give the proper attention or listen carefully to their patient’s symptoms. 

Cognitive Biases

Overconfidence and other cognitive biases can lead doctors to make poor diagnostic decisions. Doctors acting under biases may falsely assume that patients are overexaggerating their symptoms. They may assume a diagnosis is incorrect because the patient does not match some expected criteria.

Due to these and other biases, even doctors with the correct information to make a diagnosis may refuse to order the proper tests. They may also order the tests, but ignore any results that don’t confirm the decision they’ve already made.  

Inexperience

Sometimes, doctors are not experienced enough to recognize urgent symptoms or test results even when hospital guidelines cover the proper response. In these cases, critical tests will simply not be ordered.

In some more serious cases, inexperienced doctors may recommend courses of treatment that worsen or complicate the real condition. When this happens, serious injuries can occur, including paralysis and death.  

Dangerous Hospital Policies

Hospitals may pursue cost-saving measures that make it difficult for staff to provide an adequate standard of care. For example, policies that reduce the time between doctor and patient can cause medical errors and increase the likelihood of a missed diagnosis. 

Doctors who are not permitted enough time to examine patients may be forced to make a diagnosis without information that could have helped them make a better decision.

Health system administrators may take other steps that reduce the quality of the care setting or undermine the diagnostic process. You should speak to your lawyer about any policies that may have prevented you from getting diagnosed.

Poor Testing

Accurate diagnosis relies on reliable testing. When a hospital’s facilities aren’t capable of delivering accurate tests, the patient can suffer serious harm. Testing can fail for many reasons, including:

• Poor or incomplete procedures for conducting tests
• Incomplete training of lab staff
• Contaminated laboratory equipment due to insufficient cleaning
• Unqualified technicians
• Software, form, and document errors

Hospitals and other health systems must maintain high standards when performing medical tests. The lab environment, testing procedures, and staff must all be capable of delivering the accuracy that doctors need to make the correct diagnosis. When testing is flawed, it can be considered negligence.

Miscommunication Between Staff and Systems

Many misunderstandings can occur in medical care, but strong communication policies should protect patients. Doctors and nurses need to be able to communicate effectively, and the systems used in the hospital should properly display the information that they are meant to provide.

Review Your Case with a Seattle Legal Malpractice Lawyer Today

Have you been injured because of misdiagnosis? Have your health problems become worse because treatment was not recommended in time for serious conditions like heart disease, lung cancer, and appendicitis? 

An incorrect diagnosis can cause lifetime disabilities and insurmountable medical costs. You can get support for your injuries and expenses by making a claim against the healthcare professional or system that provided your medical misdiagnosis.

As Seattle’s malpractice lawyers, we can help you when an incorrect diagnosis has injured you. Contact us using our Medical malpractice contact form to find out if we can help you. If our team can help you, you’ll be invited to a free, no-obligation consultation where you can get answers to your questions.