Patients undergoing medical treatments rely on the expertise of their physicians. A doctor can connect certain symptoms with specific health challenges. They can also order testing that can either rule out or confirm the presence of specific medical issues.
For example, imaging tests could identify early cancer growth or signs of a brain injury, while laboratory testing could affirm the presence of specific types of viruses or bacteria in someone’s body. Whenever possible, doctors should seek an affirmative diagnosis. Doctors reach an affirmative diagnosis when they conclusively establish the underlying cause of someone’s symptoms.
Other times, doctors may reach a diagnosis of exclusion when they have ruled out other causes of someone’s symptoms. Fibromyalgia is often a diagnosis of exclusion for widespread pain of unknown origin. When doctors do not follow best practices during the diagnostic process, they might make mistakes that can result in major medical implications for their patients.
Misdiagnosis can cause significant medical harm
Reaching the wrong diagnosis or failing to diagnose someone with a condition can both negatively affect a patient’s prognosis. A wrong diagnosis might mean that someone undergoes unnecessary treatment for a condition that they do not have. Failing to diagnose a patient might mean that they don’t receive treatment that is necessary for their recovery.
Particularly when someone has a condition that may progress, such as a severe infection or cancer, they need a doctor to rule out more severe medical issues before they reach a diagnosis of exclusion. The diagnostic process should include an evaluation of any condition, no matter how rare, that could cause the reported symptoms.
Unfortunately, many doctors don’t have enough time to devote to a patient’s diagnosis when they present with generic symptoms. Doctors might diagnose someone with scabies due to sores presenting on their body when in reality they have lymphoma. They might diagnose someone with a chest cold when they have lung cancer.
When doctors fail to follow the right diagnostic procedures, which usually means ruling out more serious conditions that can cause certain symptoms, they put their patients at risk of poor medical outcomes. Those coping with the consequences of a drastically delayed diagnosis or grieving the death of a loved one may have reason to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit against a physician or facility that failed to exercise a proper professional standard of care.