Misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis and missed diagnosis are not uncommon in the medical field. These diagnostic errors can lead to potential harm, disability, and, in some cases, death. Different factors contribute to diagnostic errors.
Below are two of them:
Cognitive bias
A significant percentage of diagnostic errors involve cognitive biases – errors in thinking despite having the necessary knowledge and skills. These biases are often subconscious, affecting a doctor’s reasoning and decision-making.
Examples include:
- Anchoring bias – When a physician heavily depends on the first information they received, “the anchor,” to make a diagnosis, even if later information contradicts the initial one.
- Confirmation bias – When a doctor only seeks out or favors information that supports their initial diagnosis or belief, ignoring contradictory evidence.
- Premature closure – A physician prematurely settles on a diagnosis without considering all available details or alternative diagnoses.
- Attribution errors – When a doctor wants to discover the reason for observations. So, they assign blame or responsibility for a patient’s condition to the patient, making decisions based on the patient’s social, personal or other characteristics. For example, a doctor can form negative stereotypes about a patient with a substance use disorder or a psychiatric condition, and this can influence their decisions.
The medical field has systems to avoid these errors. It has structured approaches that doctors should follow to diagnose, embraces technological tools and employs debiasing techniques, such as encouraging doctors to seek second opinions.
Communication errors
A doctor failing to explain a patient’s health problem to the patient on time can lead to a diagnostic error. A patient needs to know their condition to start receiving treatment immediately.
Another communication breakdown that can result in a diagnostic error occurs within the system itself. For instance, when healthcare providers fail to share critical patient information.
Diagnostic errors can be avoided. If a doctor failed to offer you standard care, legal guidance can help you protect your rights.