When you’re a parent, the last thing you want to think about is your child being harmed in any way.

Unfortunately, sometimes medical errors are a reason that babies and older children are hurt.

In the most severe of these situations, a family might file a medical malpractice or wrongful death lawsuit.

The following are some of the more common pediatric medical errors that are made.

Diagnostic errors

In studies that have looked at pediatric medical errors, the cause was most frequently related to a problem during diagnosis. When a doctor isn’t able to arrive at the right diagnosis in time, it can mean a delay in treatment that would otherwise be life-saving. This isn’t just true of paediatricians or doctors who work with children. It’s true across the board.

Diagnosing the wrong condition can also mean that a child or any patient receives the wrong treatment or treatment that’s unnecessary.

It’s also harder to diagnose children than adults because children might not be able to describe what they’re feeling.

For parents, they might not realise that certain symptoms can be very relevant to a possible diagnosis, so they don’t disclose them to a doctor.

Newborn care

Within the first year of life, children have very specific medical needs that are specialised.

Newborns are at high risk for medical errors leading to injury including lacerations from forceps and other birth injuries.

Common misdiagnosis

The general risks of misdiagnosis in children were touched on above, and there are some specific conditions that are more likely to be misdiagnosed than others.

The first is an ADHD diagnosis. If a child has symptoms of inattention, a doctor may diagnose ADHD.

In reality, there are a lot of causes of inattention, including not getting good quality sleep, experiencing stressful life events, anxiety, learning disorders and even head injuries.

Being exposed to environmental toxins like mould can lead to inattention, as can something called Irlen Syndrome. Irlen Syndrome is a problem with visual processing where certain colours irritate the brain.

Another symptom that leads to misdiagnosis in children is fatigue. It’s common with a symptom of fatigue to diagnose depression. In reality, in children, fatigue can stem from thyroid imbalances, poor diet, head injuries and again, exposure to toxins.

When a child has symptoms of anger or displays disruptive behaviour, it might be diagnosed as Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Intermittent Explosive Disorder. Other possible causes include ADD/ADHD, a high-glycemic diet, or food sensitivities.

Medication errors

One of the big errors that happen in medical care for all ages is prescribing the wrong medicine, giving the wrong medication other than what’s prescribed, or combining medicines that shouldn’t be mixed.

This can be the fault of the prescribing doctor, the pharmacist, or the health care provider who gives the medicine.

Each year, around 200,000 medication errors are reported to poison control centres in the U.S., and around 30% involve children.

Dosing errors are the most common specific type of mistake.

Health care providers have to consider how a drug is absorbed in children, how it’s distributed, the metabolism, and also how it’s eliminated.

All of these factors are called pharmacokinetics.

There are significant differences in how medicines are prescribed to children compared to adults, and it’s something health care providers have to be mindful of.

For example, infants and children tend to have more absorption of medicines, and children have a higher water composition than adults, impacting how water-soluble medicines are dosed.

Meningitis

When it comes to specific illnesses among children, meningitis is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed.

Healthcare providers may diagnose it as a respiratory infection or the flu, and that can lead to children experiencing complications or even death.

In a child under one year old, meningitis can cause lethargy, fussiness, poor feeding, vomiting, seizures and rash. In older children, symptoms may include fever, confusion, stiff neck and headache.

Appendicitis

Another condition that’s frequently misdiagnosed in childhood is appendicitis. Appendicitis is a condition where the appendix is inflamed.

When the appendix is inflamed, it can lead to rupture. Unfortunately, doctors may misdiagnose appendicitis as a viral infection or a stomachache. When appendicitis isn’t treated in time and it ruptures, it can lead to severe infections.

Pneumonia

Finally, pneumonia is an illness that is particularly deadly for babies and young children. It leads to inflammation of the air sacs of the lungs.

If a doctor doesn’t listen to a child’s lungs and perform the appropriate tests, pneumonia can be deadly.

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