Misdiagnoses: the stats

Medical misdiagnosis is both worrying and potentially harmful to your long-term health. If you are incorrectly diagnosed by a medical professional, you may be able to claim compensation.

Medical misdiagnoses usually fall into one of the following types:

• Missed diagnosis: When a medical professional fails to identify and diagnose symptoms of an illness or a medical condition.
• Late diagnosis: Where the medical diagnosis is late - this can prolong a patient’s health issues.
• Incorrect diagnosis: Where the medical professional has failed to diagnose the patient’s health symptoms correctly. This can result in the patient receiving incorrect medication or inadequate treatment.

How common is medical misdiagnosis?

Although many patients receive the correct diagnosis, support and care for an illness or health condition, misdiagnosis is not uncommon.

Conditions which are commonly misdiagnosed include:

• Asthma
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Appendicitis
• Heart disease and heart attacks
• Strokes; and
• Meningitis.
  
  

Is misdiagnosis considered malpractice?

If your doctor, hospital, or health centre failed to diagnose you in a timely and accurate manner, and your health deteriorated as a result, this can be considered a deviation from the expected standards of care, which is medical malpractice.

Can I claim for misdiagnosis?

To pursue a claim for medical misdiagnosis, the patient must be able to determine that the care they received, or in some cases, the lack of care, led to them either developing a condition that might have otherwise been treatable, led to further complications or led to them having unnecessary treatment.

If you have been misdiagnosed for a medical condition and want to talk to us about making a claim, please click below.