Even with advances in medicine and technology, medical malpractice happens on a regular basis. In San Bernardino, California, and throughout U.S. hospitals, patients may be prescribed the wrong medicine or become victim to a surgical error. Moreover, many experience a diagnostic error, such as misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. If you are anticipating medical treatment or believe that you have experienced a diagnostic error firsthand, it may be helpful for you to understand why these mistakes take place.
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, weak communication and inefficient teamwork play a role in many of the diagnostic errors that occur during surgery. However, there are other risk factors that may result in an error, such as a medical professional’s failure to follow up with a patient regarding the results of their test. Other reasons that a diagnostic error may happen include inexperienced medical professionals, biased physicians, failure to perform necessary tests and failure to spend enough time assessing a patient.
Sadly, when a physician who fails to diagnose a patient’s health problem soon enough or tells a patient that they suffer from a health problem they do not have, the outcome can be disastrous. From unnecessary medical procedures to the incorrect prescription of medication and health problems that become worse due to going under the radar for too long, there are many ways that diagnostic errors can shatter your life. Sadly, these mistakes can lead to significant physical pain, illness, unnecessary suffering as well as the loss of life.
