The Impact of Diagnostic Errors on Patient Health
Imagine you’re not feeling well. You visit your doctor, explain your symptoms, and leave with a diagnosis and a treatment plan. You trust that diagnosis, don’t you? Most of us do. But what if that diagnosis is wrong? What if the very process meant to help you understand your health actually leads you down the wrong path, delaying proper care or even causing harm? This isn’t a rare occurrence; it’s a silent epidemic known as diagnostic error, and its impact on patients can be absolutely devastating. Diagnostic errors are a leading cause of patient harm and medical malpractice claims in the United States. They’re not