Doctors are one of the most respected professionals around. Spending years of training before achieving their dreams, these people belong to the best of the best. But sometimes, because of different reasons ranging from pure human error and equipment limitations to complete negligence and sabotage, mistakes can happen during consultation. You’ll be surprised to know that a lot of things can possibly go wrong during diagnosis. Here are just some of the common mistakes by a consultant doctor.
- Non-diagnosis- Due to different reasons, doctors might fail to see a condition unfolding on the patient. Non-diagnosis is the error caused by the failure of the doctor to detect and diagnose a particular condition present to a patient. This can be due to many reasons. It’s possible that the doctor lacks diagnostic tools to properly identify the true condition of the person. It’s also possible that the doctor could have simply ignored some symptoms and observations on the patient.
- Misdiagnosis- If there’s such a thing as the inability to identify a condition (non-diagnosis), misdiagnosis is also very possible to occur. It can happen due to a number of reasons. Often times, misdiagnosis happens when the doctor was unable to correctly identify the problem because the symptoms are similar to another health issue. It can also happen because the doctor was wrong in evaluating results from diagnostic tests. This is one of the most common mistakes by a consultant doctor, and there’s no telling what consequences such failure carry.
- Wrong prescriptions- It’s the doctor’s task to lay out a plan for the patient to recover. And that includes making a prescription. Prescribing the right medication and treatment can bring relief for the patient, but prescribing the wrong one can lead to disastrous consequences. There are many possible reasons for wrong prescription, but it often happens because the doctor made a lapse of judgment, the doctor failed to recognize the patient is not allowed to take such medications, or it can be a byproduct of wrong diagnosis.
- Failure of referral- Doctors are great in their own way, but they have their own specialties and limitations. Some are more skilled at particular fields than others. Often times, it’s a smart move for doctors to refer patients to people they know can give medical care for that particular patient best. But because of either lack of recognition of the situation or sheer pride, they end up not doing so. And as you would know, not providing the best service to the patient is a disservice in itself.
It’s a foregone conclusion that even though doctors are among the best of the best, they do make mistakes from time to time. It’s the very reason why second opinions, especially for potentially serious conditions, can come in handy sometimes. But when that momentary lapse results into a complication, that doctor can be liable for medical malpractice and the potentially stiff repercussions associated with it. By knowing the most common mistakes by a consultant doctor, you’ll know how to protect yourself when the time comes.