You reasonably expect the healthcare provider in whom you have entrusted your care to provide you with a quality level of care and accurately diagnose the medical condition that ails you. When your medical provider fails to diagnose you correctly or misdiagnoses your condition, the consequences can be severe. An Abington Township failure to diagnose/misdiagnosis attorney from Morris Wilson Knepp Jacquette, P.C. can review your legal rights and options during a free consultation.
What Is a Failure to Diagnose or Misdiagnosis?
A failure to diagnose occurs when a medical professional does not diagnose you with the condition that you have, delaying the treatment that you need and potentially leading to fatal or otherwise catastrophic consequences. A misdiagnosis occurs when a healthcare professional diagnoses you with a condition that you don’t have, which can also delay the treatment you need and subject you to unhelpful or potentially harmful treatment.
Why Failure to Diagnose or Misdiagnosis Occurs
A failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis can occur for various reasons, including:
- Failing to obtain an adequate patient or family history
- Overlooking symptoms
- Dismissing patient symptoms or concerns
- Failing to order appropriate tests
- Performing a test incorrectly
- Misinterpreting test results
- Committing lab errors
- Failing to notify patients of abnormal results
An experienced attorney from our personal injury law firm can investigate your situation to determine if your healthcare provider’s mistake rises to the level of medical malpractice.
Consequences of a Delayed or Missed Diagnosis
Delayed or missed diagnoses can cause substantial harm to a patient. When a patient has a serious medical condition, such as cancer, the condition can worsen when the patient is not receiving prompt care. For example, cancer can spread. This can lead to the condition becoming untreatable or requiring more invasive medical procedures that could have been avoided with an earlier diagnosis.
In emergency situations, if a medical condition is not promptly and accurately diagnosed, the outcome can be fatal. For example, the patient could be having a heart attack, and without a prompt diagnosis, the consequence can be fatal.
Delayed diagnoses can result in the victim experiencing various symptoms that interfere with their enjoyment of life, including pain and discomfort. They can also cause the patient to suffer emotional distress as they struggle with concerns over their health.
When Is a Delayed Diagnosis, Failed Diagnosis, or Misdiagnosis Medical Malpractice?
Not every negative health outcome gives rise to a medical malpractice claim. You may have a viable claim if you and your medical malpractice attorney can prove the following:
- You had a doctor/patient relationship with the healthcare provider who harmed you.
- There was a standard of care regarding your diagnosis or medical condition, which includes the steps that a reasonable healthcare provider in the same specialty and geographic area would have demonstrated under similar circumstances.
- Your doctor deviated from the standard of care.
- The deviation caused you to suffer harm.
- You suffered damages as a result of the healthcare provider’s actions, such as additional medical bills or pain and suffering.
Contact Us Today
If you were harmed due to your doctor’s negligent care, contact Morris Wilson Knepp Jacquette today for a free consultation. We can discuss your situation in a confidential setting and advise you of your next steps.