According to a medical studying he BMJ Open, researchers from Ireland discovered that among all medical malpractice claims, misdiagnoses claims were among the highest reported. Their research included the review of over 7,150 varying journal papers regarding this very subject from researchers all over the world. Between 26 and 63 percent of all medical malpractice cases involved misdiagnosis, and in most claims having caused death for 15 to 48 percent of the victims.

Into heir findings, the studies revealed that for adult patients who suffered malpractice by way of misdiagnosis, the most common causes were heart attacks and cancer. Following these two they found a number of cases for appendicitis, ectopic pregnancies as well as bone fractures; this was for both non-fatal and fatal claims. When looking at medical malpractice cases for children in this category, researchers saw a trend for cancer and meningitis as being the leading misdiagnosis cause.

Second to misdiagnosis claims came drug errors, in which there were between 6 and 20 percent of claims regarding this act of negligence. Drugs included in this finding were among steroids, anticoagulants, antidepressants, antibiotics and antipsychotics in the majority of the cases. When looking at who in the United States received payouts after their acts of medical malpractice, they find that only one third of the victims did in the states; though in the UK there were at least half of the victims which received monetary compensation. One doctor and medical malpractice insurer claims that the system is faulty because people are expecting perfection from doctors who are human beings and prone to have faults.

One research addresses an interesting point regarding medical malpractice lawsuits, claiming that because of the fear of a malpractice accusation, more doctors are practicing defensive medicine techniques. According got Dr. Emma Wallace with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Medical School, she stats that when defensive medicine is used, there is a greater chance of patients then having more diagnostic testing, higher rates, as well as unnecessary prescription medications in order to treat conditions that may merely be a possibility. In some cases the fear of failure may also lead to a doctor performing a procedure or even overall avoiding a certain form of treatment because they are trying to prevent malpractice.

The “Choosing Wisely,” medical campaign has been practiced by some of the top United States medical societies in order to encourage patients to be more involved in their current medical care. This campaign urges the patients to ask more detailed questions to the doctors about tests and treatments in order to prevent them from having treatments done that are not required. One doctor from California shares his concern of the pressures that doctors face every day. He claims that no doctor can afford to mess up ever. Even if they have a perfect record for over a decade, one mistake can turn into a medical malpractice lawsuit and court dispute.

Doctors show that the leading causes of medical malpractice claims (cancer and heart attacks) are also among the most difficult for a doctor to diagnose in a patient. Because there are a number of symptoms that patients will experience that are similar to that of a cancer patient or heart attack vicitim, and only a small fraction of the patients are actually seriously ill. It is the responsibility of a doctor to make sure that they are able to separate these groups so that the healthy people are treated for something they don’t have. Researchers from the study encourage all patients to be extremely attentive to their doctors and urge them to ask a lot of questions in order to make the best decision for you.