People experiencing irritating symptoms, ranging from recurring pain to difficulty sleeping, may see a doctor to address their concerns. A physician can help people understand the medical issues causing their symptoms.
A proper diagnosis is critical for effective treatment. Otherwise, the most that health care professionals can do is manage symptoms rather than preventing or eliminating them. Unfortunately, diagnostic mistakes are a common issue in modern medicine. Although physicians have never had better equipment and more robust knowledge than they currently enjoy, they may still struggle to diagnose their patients accurately, often due to the following challenging realities.
Heavy patient loads
Many physicians regularly see far more patients than they can reasonably recall. As such, they rely on a quick review of medical records before each patient appointment. Being unfamiliar with a patient’s personal history and their family history can lead to doctors overlooking key factors that can influence the diagnostic process. Additionally, when physicians must see numerous patients every hour, they may not be able to dedicate the time necessary to each patient to properly diagnose.
Implicit bias
Every human has some personal biases that affect their interactions with others. People may have biases based on race, age or sex that affect how they treat certain people. Doctors are as susceptible to implicit bias as anyone else. Their subconscious beliefs about certain groups of people may prevent them from reaching an accurate diagnosis in some cases. Doctors may ignore certain symptoms or may make assumptions about a patient’s intentions because of their personal characteristics rather than their behavior.
Communication issues
Perhaps the patient provided certain details when scheduling an appointment or checking in for their appointment. They may have relayed the same information to the assistant or nurse who took their vital signs and asked them a few questions at the beginning of the appointment. The patient may then fail to convey those same details to the doctor. In some cases, there might be a language barrier that makes it difficult for a patient to effectively convey their symptoms to a doctor. Other times, patients may struggle to assert themselves or may use inappropriate wording that could prevent doctors from taking their concerns as seriously as they probably should.
Both the failure to diagnose a patient and a misdiagnosis where a doctor reaches the wrong conclusion can cause major consequences for a patient. In some cases, diagnostic errors are preventable and have major consequences for a patient. The patient may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Showing that other competent medical professionals could have diagnosed a patient accurately could help that patient hold health care providers accountable for their diagnostic errors.