Fact-Checked: Why Trust Rittgers Rittgers & Nakajima Do you trust your doctor or hospital to “get it right” when you have a serious medical concern? Maybe you shouldn’t.
Diagnostic errors aren’t the rare events most people believe they are — they are an unfortunate reality for far too many. According to information from AARP, roughly 12 million adults in the U.S. suffer a medical misdiagnosis every year. One in three of those mistakes leads to serious harm for the victims. Despite major advances in medical care, the risk of a wrong or delayed diagnosis remains alarmingly high. For patients, the consequences of a misdiagnosis can be devastating, with life-changing injuries, permanent disabilities – or even death – as a result. Families, too, are left to bear the emotional and financial scars of the medical mistakes that happen to their loved ones.
The “Big 3” misdiagnose conditions
Research by Johns Hopkins has pinpointed three major categories where these medical errors are most likely to occur. Dubbed the “Big Three” — cancers, vascular events and infections — these conditions account for nearly half of all serious, misdiagnosis-related injuries.
Cancer
Cancer misdiagnoses lead the pack, responsible for almost 38% of diagnostic disasters. Lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancers are among the most commonly missed. Many of these cancers present with vague or overlapping symptoms, which can easily be mistaken for less serious illnesses – and a doctor who doesn’t pay attention to differential diagnoses or who doesn’t order sufficient tests can miss the signals. When diagnosis is delayed, treatment options shrink and survival rates plummet. Early intervention is often the key to a positive outcome to cancer recovery. When doctors miss the signals, however, the consequences can be grim.
Vascular events
Vascular events come next, accounting for about 23% of serious diagnostic mistakes. Strokes, heart attacks, blood clots (venous thromboembolism), aortic aneurysms and arterial blockages are conditions where quick intervention is critical. A missed stroke or an untreated blood clot can leave a patient with permanent disabilities – or cause death – within hours. In vascular emergencies, even a small delay can mean the difference between a full recovery and profound physical harm.
Infections
Infections, including sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, pneumonia, spinal infections and endocarditis, round out the list, accounting for 13.5% of all serious diagnostic errors. Many infections – particularly sepsis – can escalate rapidly. A missed or delayed diagnosis can cause the infection to spread throughout the victim’s body, leading to organ failure, amputations or death. Far too often, symptoms are dismissed or attributed to minor viral illnesses when doctors should know to suspect something more serious – and that leads to tragedy.
Together, these 15 high-risk conditions highlight just how critical timely, accurate diagnosis really is — and how devastating it can be when a certain standard of professional care isn’t met.
When a misdiagnosis changes everything
A diagnostic error can upend the life of a victim and their loved ones in an instant. Victims may face years of physical suffering, financial hardship and lost opportunities. Family members may be forced into the role of full-time caregivers, carrying the burdens for their injured loved ones.
It is true that not every diagnostic mistake amounts to malpractice. However, when negligence does play a role, there may be legal options. Seeking legal guidance from experienced medical malpractice attorneys can help clarify whether a diagnostic error is actionable — and help set you on a path toward some kind of recovery.