Misdiagnosis involves an incorrect diagnosis rather than a delayed one. Harm may arise from unnecessary treatment for the incorrect condition or from failure to treat the actual condition.
Not every diagnostic error is negligent.
Alternative Names:
Diagnostic Error, Wrong Diagnosis
Why it Matters?
Diagnostic reasoning under uncertainty is what the defense establishes, since physicians work from presenting symptoms that frequently point to multiple conditions and a reasonable differential that excluded the eventual diagnosis may still meet the standard. Documenting the differential considered and the basis for the working diagnosis is the record that supports that defense. Hindsight bias is the framing problem to address directly.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Is every diagnostic error negligent?
What record supports the defense?
