A recent study published in the journal BMJ Quality and Safety reveals a frightening statistic – each year roughly 12 million adults seeking medical care receive a misdiagnosis – this is about 1 in 20 visits. Further, the misdiagnosis leads to serious personal injury and harm in about 50% of these patients. This is an alarming rate of medical malpractice. If you believe you may have received a misdiagnosis, we urge you to consult with an experienced California medical misdiagnosis lawyers who can advise you concerning your next steps.
Previous studies concerning preventable medical errors – such as never events and wrong site surgeries have focused on the hospital setting. However the new study suggest that a significant number of patients are being misdiagnosed in outpatient clinics and doctors offices.
One of the study's authors notes, "Although it is unknown how many patients will be harmed from diagnostic errors, about one-half of diagnostic errors have the potential to lead to severe harm... this risk potentially translates to about 6 million outpatients per year."
Common reasons for misdiagnosis include problems with ordering diagnostic tests and errors made by a doctor in interpreting test results.
If you believe you or a loved one has suffered harm as the result of a misdiagnosis, we urge you to contact the top California medical malpractice attorneys at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.