What You Need to Know

Radiology is a specialized service that is used to help medical professionals in diagnosing patients. The field of radiology involves carrying out the procedure and reading the results of X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT) scans.

These technological advancements have greatly contributed to breakthroughs in detecting breast cancer, birth abnormalities, and other conditions that couldn’t have been detected by other methods.

• Causes

  Radiologist negligence occurs when technicians fail to interpret imaging results correctly. Failing to read or interpret the results of images correctly is similar to diagnosis failure. By failing to recognize a tumor, break or other image abnormality, the doctor is unable to properly diagnose a patient, which results in serious side effects and maybe even death.

  Radiologist negligence can be caused by many different factors, including:

  • Overworked staff due to understaffed hospitals and medical facilities
  • Improper training
  • Incompetence/inability to recognize certain diseases/diagnoses
  • Performing the test on the incorrect location of the body
• Consequences

  By failing to read the image results correctly, the radiologist puts the patient at serious risk for injury.

  If the radiologist fails to recognize a break or fracture of the bone, the patient can cause further injury to the bone, sometimes beyond the point of repair. Paralysis can also occur, especially if the break or fracture is in the spinal area. If a tumor is not recognized, it cannot be treated, causing the tumor to grow and have adverse effects on the patient. This could cause serious injury (depending on the location of the tumor), paralysis, permanent, irreversible damages or death.