Providing a correct and timely diagnosis of disease is essential to ensuring the best possible recovery for patients.

To make a correct diagnosis, patients will typically receive a range of tests including blood tests and imaging (i.e. MRI, CT, X-ray, and ultra-sound). This data combined with the other information gathered from medical notes, patient input and other sources, will allow doctors to form an opinion.

However, on occasion, medical professionals may fail to spot the signs of disease until it has advanced further, and this may have serious health consequences to the life of the individual affected.

What is meant by ‘Delayed Diagnosis’?

Failure to provide a diagnosis may be caused by several factors depending on the patient pathway taken.  A patient presenting to their GP with signs of disease which requires the attention of a specialist should be referred by that GP.  Many GPs prefer to be cautious in their approach and will make a referral if there is even a suggestion of disease or serious illness.  However, if they fail to recognise symptoms of potentially serious illness, this may lead to an incorrect or delayed diagnosis.

If the patient presents to their nearest A&E department with specific symptoms of disease, it will be the health professionals’ task to complete the necessary medical work to determine if the patient needs further medical input.  A failure to spot the signs of disease at this point could lead to a patient being discharged, when they should have been admitted or referred.  In such contexts, while A&E departments are sometimes extremely busy, medical physicians still have a duty of care to patients.  If delayed diagnosis is due to an incorrect interpretation of a scan, or if the physician was too junior to complete this task, these actions may constitute medical negligence.