Diagnosis is the first and most critical step in the treatment process because doctors need to know what a patient has to treat them properly. Most doctors rely on different testing to assure the correct diagnosis for their patients.
Most physicians rely on radiologists, doctors who read diagnostics films from CT scans and MRI’s and report findings to other physicians. Oftentimes, the radiologists misinterpret the findings and result in long-term consequences for patients.
What do mistakes happen during radiology?
Similar to any other medical profession, radiologists have extensive training and education to understand the human body and medical procedures. However, radiologists also need training in advanced technology to help the diagnostic process, including MRI’s and CT scans.
Radiologists are typically a crucial tool in interpreting results from these machines and passing the information along to other physicians for treatment. Radiology helps identify:
- broken bones
- internal bleeding
- tumors
- swelling
- infections
- further examinations in specific areas
However, doctors rely on the interpretations from radiologists to determine the next steps for the patient. If the results are misread, a condition could go untreated for weeks or years possibly. It also leads to errors if a treatment plan addresses the wrong diagnosis.
Imagine if you receive an MRI test in your head, and the radiologist misses a large tumor in your frontal lobe. It means you have no opportunity to remove or treat the mass. There’s also the potential for death or serious side-effects.
It’s crucial for patients who believe they were misdiagnosed due to radiology to receive copies of their films and get a second opinion. It may save you in a life or death situation, or it might save you thousands of dollars in medical testing.