Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt | Attorneys At Law

What is the impact of human error in medical misdiagnosis?

On Behalf of | Feb 29, 2020 | Medical Malpractice |

When you are searching for a solution to a pressing health concern, the last thing you want to worry about is human error. However, avoidable mistakes in diagnosing issues may even more common than previously thought. 

According to Pinnacle Care, the percentage of patients facing misdiagnoses in treatments is as high as 20%. In fact, this amount of inaccurate diagnoses may even lead to up to 29% of malpractice claims in cases. The increasing amount of attention toward this issue sparked a growing number of studies on this topic, including ones that try to help explain why this occurs in the first place. To complicate matters more, doctors who order unnecessary tests for patients can also cause undue stress and financial burden while still failing to provide correct answers. Bills from those treatments can overwhelm families and individuals, and even cause bankruptcy. 

Although human error can never be fully taken out of the equation when it comes to the medical field, it can help to get a second diagnosis from another trusted professional source. You may respond better to different treatments that another doctor specializes in. Additionally, talking to multiple medical professionals greatly lowers the chance of unnecessary tests. In fact, a Pinnacle Care study on misdiagnosis interventions found that 77% of the patients surveyed changed their minds and switched their current doctors or treatment during the case. Finding another care professional that has extensive knowledge of current medical trends and technology may lead to answers. 

Learning more about medical issues can help you take control of your life and learn where to turn if you encounter malpractice. 

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