Recent Study Reveals Startling Statistics Regarding Misdiagnoses

Johns Hopkins scientists recently published findings from a study looking at how misdiagnoses impact patients and the healthcare system. “Diagnostic error is recognized as a major source of preventable harms in US healthcare” is the introductory sentence in a study which was recently published and can be found here. The authors note that between 40,000-80,000 misdiagnosis-related deaths occur each year in the U.S. Also, “failures in clinical judgment were, by far, the leading identified cause of serious misdiagnosis-related harms”.

How Attorneys Could Help Hold Diagnosticians Accountable

At Warshauer Woodward Atkins, we have a tremendous amount of experience representing clients who were injured as a result of a misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis. These medical errors have led to delays in treatment which have led to tremendous pain and suffering, sometimes loss of limb and in the worst cases, death. Our hope is that studies like the Johns Hopkins study will help lead to the development of systems and efforts to reduce the number of these errors and save lives.

If you or a loved one believes that you were injured as a result of a diagnostic error, please call us for a free consultation.