When a physician considers symptoms and arrives at the wrong conclusion due to faulty medical test data, incomplete information from the patient or the doctor’s own lack of knowledge, the result is a diagnostic error. According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, misdiagnosis accounts for roughly 10 to 20 percent of medical errors, even though other less common mistakes such as drug or surgical errors receive more media attention.

Medical malpractice lawyers warn that diagnostic mistakes are often life threatening, and many result in delayed treatment, permanent disabilities and fatalities. A study published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety estimated that roughly 40,500 fatal diagnostic errors occur in United States intensive care units each year.

Lack of evidence makes prevention difficult

Incorrect diagnoses are not new. A 1991 Harvard University study discovered that 14 percent of all adverse medical events were caused by the wrong diagnosis, and 75 percent of these medical mistakes were the result of negligence. The prevalence of these errors has not resulted in any solutions, and they continue to be ignored by the majority of the health care community. In fact, in a landmark study on medical errors reported by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, misdiagnoses were mentioned only twice.

Researchers say that a large part of the problem is the difficulty gathering data. Diagnosing a health problem is complex, and physicians often never learn that an error has been made because many people seek a second opinion or do not discover the problem until much later. Medical malpractice lawyers understand that the lack of accurate reporting makes it impossible for studies to discover a truly relevant number. Even when an individual’s case is not formally reported, there are personal injury cases action that may be taken.

Physicians rarely admit mistakes

Doctor error is often seen as a personal failure, leading many health care providers to avoid reporting mistakes, even when they are able to do so anonymously. Overconfidence may be another contributing factor to misdiagnosis. In a recent survey of more than 6,000 doctors, 96 percent said they believe diagnostic errors are preventable, and nearly half of them claimed to encounter at least one every month. However, while doctors admit that errors are plentiful, most believe other medical professionals are to blame for the high statistics.

Medical malpractice lawyers state that health care litigation most often focuses on diagnostic errors, but based on the statistics, most errors are never addressed with legal action. A patient who believes a health problem has been caused or exacerbated by a misdiagnosis should seek the advice of an attorney who has experience with medical malpractice and may be able to help determine whether legal action is feasible.