The safety rule for making a diagnosis
One of the most common medical negligence issues is misdiagnosis.
June 12, 2013
The safety rule for making a diagnosisArticle provided by Gregg W. Luther
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Diagnosis issues often evolve from inaccurate medical records, physicians who do not spend enough time with a patient and ill-completed (or misinterpreted) test results. Other common causes include health care providers not talking to each other, test results not being followed up and lack of a system to make sure patients do not fall through the cracks. A misdiagnosis can happen to patient when the health care provider did not follow the rules for patient safety. It does not matter what your weight, race, age, blood type or anything else is; if you are a patient, you are a candidate for misdiagnosis. Failure to follow the patient safety rules for making a proper diagnosis is common.
The patient safety rule for making a proper diagnosis is simple. When a health care provider finds anything abnormal, the provider must first make a list of the possible causes of the abnormality. Second, the provider must prioritize the list by putting the worst possibilities at the top of the list. Third, the provider must run the appropriate tests to determine if the abnormality is caused by one of the worst possibilities.
If, the test results prove that the patient's issue is serious, the provider must start treatment immediately. If the test results do not decipher what the abnormality is, the provider must keep testing and doing studies until the cause of the abnormality is known and proven. Only if the provider can prove that the abnormality is not caused by the worst possibility can the provider remove the worst possibility from the first position on the list.
Many health care providers automatically assume that the abnormality is not the worst before knowing the test and study results. Such an assumption can be deadly for the patient.
Ultimately, it is a medical professional's job to follow the patient safety rules when diagnosing or treating his or her patients. If you believe that your doctor has not followed the patient safety rules, and you were harmed, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney in your area.