Misleading or Misreading: Why Do Radiologists Face Medical Malpractice so Often?
Radiologists make up approximately 3.6% of practicing medical doctors, however they rank 6th among all specialists in the number of malpractice claims for which they have been defendants. From 1985-2002, they were sued more often than anesthesiologists, plastic surgeons, gastroenterologists, and cardiologists.
Medical malpractice cases generally relate to two issues: improper medical care leading to bodily harm, or a poor physician-patient relationship. A recent study found that diagnosis errors are the most common generic cause of malpractice suits against radiologists.
Radiologists specialize in the diagnosis of diseases and injuries using medical imaging equipment and techniques such as x-rays, positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear medicine, and ultrasound. Radiologists then review and interpret these scans for diagnosis of injury, or disease such as cancer, internal bleeding, or fractures.
The failure to correctly read and interpret a radiologic scan makes radiology one of the specialties most likely to be the subject of medical negligence. Radiological “misses” usually relate to either missed fractures or missed diagnosis of cancer. Misinterpretations of imaging related to the breast and breast cancer were the most common cause of misdiagnosis resulting in malpractice lawsuits.
Medical liability insurers reviewed 562 breast cancer malpractice claims from 2009 to 2014, and discovered that 61% were related to alleged delays in diagnosis. Nearly 48% of those delayed-diagnosis cases involved radiology to some degree.
Not all cases involving radiology were due to the radiologist’s negligence. In some cases primary care or other physicians may have misread, misinterpreted, or disregarded a radiologist’s report.
Radiological “misses”, can result in severe consequences for a patient. In 2012, the National Institute of Health released a scathing report asserting that errors in reading radiological scans usually arise from poor technique, lack of knowledge and experience, or failures of perception.
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