Mistake Reading Lab Results
Medical testing plays a valuable role in helping doctors make crucial decisions about their patients. The information that X-Rays, MRIs, CT scans, and other types of medical tests provide serve as the basis for reaching a diagnosis and deciding how to approach treatment. So when mistakes are made in conducting or reading lab tests, it can be the beginning of a life-threatening chain of events.
When medical test results are read incorrectly, it can result in a wide range of problems for patients. A misdiagnosis can lead to a patient receiving improper treatment while treatment for the real issue is delayed. Because of that delay, a person’s condition could worsen and become more difficult to treat. In a truly catastrophic case, a mistake with a lab test could result in unnecessary surgery.
Approximately 13 billion medical lab tests are performed in the United States every year and with so many tests being run, it’s only a matter of time before mistakes are made. Not only might there be mistakes in reading the results of a test, mistakes can also be made during the testing process that compromises the results. Or a labelling error can lead to a medical sample being handled incorrectly, yielding an inaccurate result. In some cases, a doctor might be given test results for the wrong patient. One 2013 study found that 75% of all medical lab errors involved mistakes that were made before the test being conducted.
No medical test is completely infallible. Even a mistake involving a simple, routine screening can potentially have very serious consequences for a patient. If you or a loved one has been harmed by a medical testing error, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a medical malpractice lawyer. Malpractice cases can be very complex and it’s very important to have someone on your side who understands the law and has the experience to fight for you to get the compensation you need. Contact us today for help with your case.