When Oklahoma residents go to the doctor, they believe that the health care professional will accurately diagnose their medical ailments. However, this is not necessarily the case. Diagnostic errors happen more often than people may believe, and they are also the most harmful types of errors. A diagnostic mistake takes place when a doctor either misses a diagnosis or doesn’t make it in a timely manner.
The reason why doctors don’t like to admit when they have made a mistake is because it may reduce their confidence. Part of being a doctor is not thinking that a patient could ever be harmed while under that person’s care. Some believe that the number of diagnostic errors could increase as medicine becomes more complicated over time. They may also increase as doctors start to take on large caseloads. Artificial intelligence may help doctors keep up in a faster paced environment.
It is thought that by 2020, medical knowledge will double every 73 days, which may make it harder for doctors to keep up with advances in the field. Although diagnostic errors are not always talked about, the medical field in general is learning that it is better to admit a mistake when it happens. This may result in more accurate assessments of patient health and better outcomes for patients.
If a failure to diagnose harms a patient, this could constitute medical malpractice. It will need to be demonstrated that such error constituted a failure to provide the requisite standard of care. A plaintiff’s attorney will endeavor to do so through, among other evidence, the opinion testimony of one or more medical experts.