If you have to undergo a radiological test in Indiana, you should be able to trust that the information you receive back after that test is accurate. Whether your test is part of a regular, routine screening or something you have done to investigate a suspected problem, correct test data is imperative. Sadly, it appears that many patients do not receive the right information after they have these types of test.
A study released recently indicated a serious gap between test results and the associated follow up. Even worse, this gap is said to contribute to patient fatalities and significant, permanent injuries as reported by Health Imaging. The study found that general practice was the specialty most commonly associated with medical errors involving diagnosis. Radiology was the second most commonly associated specialty.
The misreading of results was linked to inappropriate actions that either delayed treatment for patients or led them to undergo the wrong type of treatment for their conditions. Several forms of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast and ovarian were the diseases most often part of these errors. The report highlighted that radiologists are too often not included in the teams that develop a final diagnosis.
If you would like to learn more about the problems that may occur if your medical test results are not accurately read or followed up on and how to get help if you are in this position, please feel free to visit the missed or incorrect diagnosis page of our Indiana medical malpractice website.