A healthcare provider may make a mistake during the diagnostic stage, potentially causing a patient to sustain significant damage. The three primary types of diagnostic errors are missed diagnosis, misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis.
Here is how they differ:
Missed diagnosis
A missed diagnosis is when a physician fails to identify a patient’s medical condition. The physician does not diagnose the patient with any condition even though the patient has symptoms.
Different factors may contribute to this diagnostic error. These include a physician not ordering the appropriate tests, using faulty testing equipment, misinterpreting test results, not spending enough time with a patient to know their medical history or failing to refer the patient to a specialist.
Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis is a diagnostic error that occurs when a physician gives a patient a wrong diagnosis. The doctor acknowledges the existing symptoms and performs tests, but they inaccurately identify the patient’s condition.
Conditions with similar symptoms are mostly misdiagnosed. Examples include:
- Breast cancer and benign breast conditions, such as fibrocystic breasts
- Colorectal cancer and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Pulmonary embolism and pneumonia, heartburn, bronchitis and heart failure
- Appendicitis and Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), gastroenteritis and constipation and so on
Physicians should take time with a patient and perform all necessary tests to rule out potential diagnoses and find the right one.
Delayed diagnosis
Delayed diagnosis is when a physician fails to diagnose a patient on time. A missed diagnosis may turn into a delayed diagnosis if a diagnosis is ever made. Failing to communicate with a patient may also result in delayed diagnosis, for example, when a doctor has test results that suggest cancer but fails to tell the patient on time.
If you or your loved one has experienced any diagnostic error, consider legal help to determine how to approach the case.