Laboratory Error

Occasionally a misdiagnosis malpractice case arises not because a medical provider failed to recognize the patient’s signs and symptoms, but instead a test that medical provider was given the wrong information. These situations typically arise when a patient undergoes laboratory testing such as blood or urine tests, and the results are either confused with another patient a laboratory or recorded improperly. The significance of such mistakes can have devastating effects. For example, when a diagnosis hinges on a white cell count from a blood sample or, a protein count from urine sample, a slight mistake or error by a testing laboratory can send both doctor and patient down the wrong path of treatment.

These days there are generally sufficient safety measures in place to ensure that lab samples are never mixed up, and that the results are recorded correctly. Unlike other types of medical malpractice cases, there are generally very few defenses available in laboratory error cases. Instead, the focus of such cases is typically proving how the laboratory error affected the patient and caused harm or damages that could have otherwise been avoided without such errors.