Common Ailments Frequently Misdiagnosed Common ailments like pneumonia and heart failure are the conditions most frequently misdiagnosed by primary care doctors and can lead to severe harm if not treated appropriately, according to a recent study. Misdiagnoses occur most often during examinations when doctors have trouble getting a complete medical history from the patient and the failure of doctors to follow up and track tests and referrals. In order to reduce these medical errors, more doctors and hospitals need to engage the patient in their own health care and improve their access to physicians, according to Hardeep Singh, the study's lead author. "If we do it together with patients, providers and health care systems, we will have a much deeper impact of understanding and improving this problem," says Singh. The most common misdiagnoses among 190 errors in primary care visits between October 2006 and September 2007 at a large urban Veterans Affair facility were pneumonia (6.7%), heart failure (5.7%), kidney failure (5.3%), cancer (5.3%) and urinary tract infections (4.8%). Read the full details here: Pneumonia, heart failure among doctors' most-missed diagnoses Missed diagnoses of pneumonia and heart failure is a common problem in U.S. hospitals and leads to wrongful death, increased hospital bills and often severe permanent damages. If you or someone you love has been injured by medical malpractice, including mis- or delayed diagnoses, call the professionals at Crandall & Pera Law for a free consultation.