Where a patient receives a misdiagnosis of an illness or injury, or where a condition is left undiagnosed completely the chance of the condition worsening is greater.

A misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis can result in irreversible damage to the individual concerned and may result in a poor prognosis, particularly in circumstances involving the delay in identifying a tumour or treating a child with meningitis.

Time is of the essence when dealing with a person’s health and a misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis can unfortunately result in a tragic outcome for the patient and their family.

Instances of medical misdiagnoses or delay in diagnosis resulting in a claim include:

• Errors reading an x-ray/CT scan/MRI scan correctly and failing to identify a fracture, tumour, blood clot
• Undiagnosed cancers such as bowel, breast, skin, lung and colon cancer
• Misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis of meningitis resulting in potentially catastrophic injuries and possibly death