New Yorkers who are having a medical issue, illness or condition will visit a doctor or a hospital for an examination to find the problem and try to solve it. Whether it is a minor or major health concern, there is an expectation that the accurate medical diagnosis will be made. If it is not, the problem can worsen. A misdiagnosis, a delayed diagnosis or a diagnosis that is completely missed can lead to serious health complications and even death. For people who have been impacted by these egregious medical mistakes, it is imperative to have legal advice on how to proceed with a lawsuit.
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has released a new study showing that the most frequent reason serious medical errors are made is when there is an inaccurate diagnosis. There are as many as 80,000 fatalities in hospitals every year because of misdiagnosis. Approximately 12 million people will be misdiagnosed annually. One-third will lead to a serious medical problem, permanent side effects or a fatality. In the study, malpractice cases were accrued from a database and analyzed. It gauged the diagnostic mistakes that did the most damage.
The top three errors – referred to as “The Big Three” – were cancer, vascular events and infections. Nearly 38 percent were cancer errors; almost 23 percent were vascular events; and 13.5 percent were infections. Strokes were the most frequently misdiagnosed vascular event. Sepsis was the most commonly misdiagnosed infection. Lung cancer was the cancer that was most often misdiagnosed. More than 71 percent of the misdiagnosis or other diagnostic mistakes came about in an ambulatory situation – notably emergency rooms and in an outpatient center.
Medical mistakes can do significant damage to a person’s health and their future. It can be the catalyst for unnecessary treatments, major medical expenses, lost time at work and death. For people who have been misdiagnosed, the lost time to properly treat their medical problem can be catastrophic. If there was a misdiagnosis and it led to serious injuries, worsened condition or death, those who suffered because of it must remember their rights and contact a law firm that has helped many people with medical malpractice claims to understand how to gain compensation through a lawsuit.
