What happens when the doctor misses a potential fracture?

When a patient has sustained trauma, radiology is the diagnostic standard for detecting injury. It is usually easy for radiologists to see dislocations and fractures in an X-ray. However, there are some instances where the radiologist is unable to see a fracture or cannot see the fracture clearly. This can lead to a misdiagnosis, which can have dire consequences for patients as well as physicians and radiologists. If you’ve visited an Arizona doctor and have not received the treatment you need, you may have a medical malpractice case.

The danger of diagnostic errors

It is important for medical professionals in all departments to avoid medical malpractice claims as much as possible and to correct errors as soon as they are discovered. It is important to note that a diagnostic error in the emergency room could be vastly different from an error during a checkup since a mistake in the ER could be immediately life-threatening. An error during a routine checkup may still have negative impacts on a patient’s health if the error is not detected and corrected as soon as possible.

How common are medical errors?

Radiologists are often able to detect a fracture or medical issue by evaluating an X-ray, but these professionals are not immune to making mistakes in detecting and reporting patient issues. According to a recent review of closed medical malpractice cases in the U.S., radiology was the sixth most frequent department to make a medical error even though radiologists make up less than 5% of physicians in the country. About three of every four claims against radiologists cited mistakes in interpreting X-ray results, which led to a missed diagnosis.

If a misdiagnosis caused you continued pain or incorrect treatment, you might want to file a claim for compensation for the damages. Contact a personal injury attorney if you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice and want to pursue a lawsuit to get the settlement you’re entitled to.