The unfortunate reality is that medical malpractice can make an already difficult and serious situation worse. For that reason, victims of medical malpractice who have not been properly diagnosed should be familiar with the legal protections available to help them with the damages they have suffered.
Legal protections for a failure to diagnose
Misdiagnosis can occur in several different ways. It can include a failure to diagnose, a delayed diagnosis or an erroneous, or incorrect, diagnosis. A verity of medical conditions can be misdiagnosed including various cancers; heart attacks and strokes; asthma; Lyme’s disease; Parkinson’s; Lupus; and some other serious medical conditions. The illness or disease can become worse while it goes undiagnosed or remains untreated. It can worsen because of the misdiagnosis.
Ways that misdiagnosis can harm victims include:
- Make the victim’s medical condition worse;
- Delay the correct diagnosis; and
- Result in a worsened condition that results in death.
A total of one in twenty patients are misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis can make victims sicker or can result in death of the victim. They may end up going untreated or may receive the wrong treatment. Either can make them more ill. In general, if the misdiagnosis results in a worsened medical condition, the victim may have a claim for medical malpractice. A claim for medical malpractice can help victims and their families recover compensation for their physical, financial and emotional damages which is a legal resource victims should be familiar with if they have received medical treatment that fell below the standard of care.