Radiology is used to diagnose and treat diseases using imaging technology. This branch of medicine can be split into two separate areas:
- Diagnostic radiology
- Interventional radiology
Unfortunately, diagnosing various medical conditions is not always easy, and mistakes occur from time to time.
In fact, some studies show that about 4% of the interpretations radiologists make in their daily practice contain mistakes.
Here’s what else you may not know about the frequency of radiology errors:
Most Errors Don’t Cause Patients Harm — But Some Do
Luckily, most of the errors made by radiologists in their daily practice are very minor. If the errors do happen to be serious, most of the time, they are corrected within a reasonable period in a way that patients are unharmed.
However, there are still times when radiologic errors harm patients and medical malpractice occurs as a result.
According to autopsies that compared clinical diagnoses with postmortem diagnoses, about 26% of patients did not receive the proper diagnosis because it was missed clinically.
Similarly, data has revealed that the miss rate among radiologic studies with severe pathologic findings averages around 30%, but the “real-time” mistake rate among radiologists in their day-to-day practices averages around 3-5%.
When a Radiology Error is Negligent
A medical malpractice lawsuit may be warranted as a result of a radiology error if negligence occurs. While an error must be made for negligence to occur, not every error is negligible.
When the level of a radiology error exceeds the typical standard generally accepted in the medical community, this is when negligence occurs.
With that said, if you have been harmed as a result of a medical mistake, you may be owed compensation for your losses. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our experienced team right away with any questions you may have.
If a medical professional caused your injuries and you need help with a medical malpractice lawsuit, contact the skilled attorneys at Berthold Law Firm, PLLC with the details of your case by calling (304) 605-2040 or by filling out our online contact form.