Reducing Diagnostic Errors Critical To Patient Safety
In a recently published article in Health Affairs, Dr. Robert M. Wachter, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, warns of an important but neglected issue in medical care - diagnostic errors. In fact, the proper diagnosis is the first and most essential step in the treatment process. Common areas of failed diagnosis occur with patients who have suffered strokes, head or brain injuries, and cardiac problems. Diagnostic errors often occur with certain types cancer patients as well.
As stated by Dr. Wachter, "[T]he topic of diagnostic errors has been strangely absent from the flurry of patient safety activity over the past decade." However, diagnostic errors occur in an average of 10 percent of hospital visits.
Finding a solution to diagnostic errors may be difficult. Proposed ideas include "better thinking" by physicians, promotion of activities that improve diagnostic safety, and the meaningful use of technology.
Despite the occurrence of diagnostic failures, physicians are required to recognize potential symptoms in patients and test for them. When physicians fail to diagnose an illness or a disease and a patient suffers as a result, he or she may have a claim for medical malpractice.
As California medical malpractice attorneys concerned about patient safety, we are hopeful more will be done to eliminate harmful diagnostic errors. For more information, or if you or a loved one has suffered due to a physician's failure to diagnose, contact the attorneys at Bostwick, Peterson & Mitchell, LLP today.
