WHAT ARE THE ‘BIG THREE’ MISDIAGNOSED CONDITIONS?

People in the Stamford area who seek medical care and are misdiagnosed can suffer greatly. A misdiagnosis can lead to improper care and a worsened condition. Researchers have identified three major medical conditions that lead to the majority of misdiagnoses that cause serious harm.

What are the “big three” misdiagnosed conditions?

The “big three” medical conditions that account for almost 75% of all misdiagnoses that lead to serious harm include: infections, cancers and vascular events. According to one source, if appropriate resources were devoted to addressing misdiagnosis of these conditions it could reduce the number of deaths and disabilities caused by diagnostic errors by approximately 50%.

Over 33% of medical errors that lead to fatalities or permanent disabilities were those related to cancer. Vascular issues accounted for 22% of errors that lead to fatalities or permanent disabilities and 13.5% of errors that lead to fatalities or permanent disabilities involve infections. The majority of these errors took place in emergency situations or through outpatient care.

Specifically, lung cancer, strokes and sepsis were at the top of the big three conditions in which misdiagnosis could cause serious harm to a patient. Other conditions include heart attacks, pneumonia, meningitis, blood clots, skin cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer,

Take action if you are the victim of a misdiagnosis

If you are the victim of a misdiagnosis and suffered damages as a result, you may want to take legal action. A medical malpractice claim can be one way to recover compensation for the harms you suffered due to a misdiagnosis, as well as hold the appropriate parties responsible for the mistakes they made.