Laboratory Malpractice

The quality of medical care depends on the quality of the information your doctor collects. When carelessness, unsanitary conditions, or poor procedures lead to damaged or misplaced specimens, patients suffer. Unfortunately, human error, excessive workloads, and poor procedures persist and can lead to catastrophic damage in even routine cases. 

Common Results of Laboratory Errors 

Medical diagnosis involves understanding the nature and cause of a patient’s condition. The process of clinical decision-making includes conversations with a health professional, the ordering of tests, and the collection of samples. 

Diagnostic Errors occur whenever a diagnosis is wrong, delayed, or missed, or if a test result was not communicated to the patient. 

At any step of the process, human error can lead to a variety of flawed diagnoses: 

• A missed diagnosis occurs when a patient is told they do not have a disease they, in fact, do have or will soon develop (often seen in chronic pain or chronic fatigue patients). 

• Similarly, a delayed diagnosis occurs when the correct diagnosis is learned (and ultimately learned later than it should have been).  Often times by then, the disease or ailment has progressed to the point where treatment may no longer be effective. With many fatal conditions, such as breast cancer, early detection is crucial. Due to misdiagnosis, an estimated 795,000 Americans annually become permanently disabled or die from dangerous diseases.   

• Misdiagnosis or wrong diagnosis occurs when a patient is diagnosed with a disease they do not have (for example, breast cancer incorrectly being diagnosed as a benign cyst. This can lead to progression of the disease beyond the ability to treat it. 

• Overdiagnosis or wrong diagnosis, on the other hand, is when something is correctly diagnosed, but said condition would never have led to symptoms or problems, thus resulting in unnecessary treatments and psychological stress.  

Common Causes of Laboratory Errors 

These errors can result from any of the following:  

• “Mixing up” patient samples 

• Clerical errors, including mislabeling samples, recording inaccurate information, improperly transcribing records, etc. 

• Poor communication among healthcare professionals 

• Contaminating laboratory specimens 

• Relying on outdated technology 

• Losing laboratory samples 

• Use of substandard materials 

What Can I Do if I Am Affected by Laboratory Malpractice? 

An estimated 60-70% of medical decisions surrounding diagnosis and treatment involve a laboratory. When patients suffer physical, emotional, or financial harm from a laboratory error, effective legal representation is often the only path to recovery. 

If you or a loved one has been affected by laboratory malpractice, it is critical to have an informed, detail-oriented, and dedicated medical malpractice attorney who will tirelessly advocate for you and your case. Please contact Andrew G. Slutkin and Ethan S. Nochumowitz for a free consultation at 800-385-2243.