Failure to Diagnose/Delayed Diagnosis

Failing to diagnose a disease or condition may be a result of medical malpractice. It is the responsibility of your doctor to use due care to make a proper diagnosis and to provide proper and appropriate testing and follow-up care. In certain situations, such as cancer, failing to diagnose or delay in diagnosis may greatly increase the chance of permanent damage and/or reduce the chance of survival or cure.

There are many factors that may lead to a doctor failing to diagnose. These include, but are not limited to:

• Misinterpreted lab results
• Misread x-rays
• Lost or switched lab results
• Failure to refer patient to a correct specialist
• Procedure performed incorrectly or use of the incorrect procedure
• Failure to take an appropriate or complete medical history or failure to recognize a patient's presenting symptoms
• Inadequate differential diagnosis
• Failure to send for appropriate testing