Failure to Diagnose or Missing the Diagnosis of an Illness is a Common Form of Medical Malpractice
All too often I hear about doctors that missed a cancer diagnosis. Many people go to their doctor with symptoms consistent with cancer that isn’t found until it’s too late. If that cancer has a year to grow, it can go from something survivable to a cancer that has spread with a low survival rate. This type of missed diagnosis may be medical malpractice.
Doctors miss the signs and symptoms of illnesses all the time. They may try to cover up their mistake. They might take things out of medical records. The doctor may say that the symptoms are newly discovered. Whatever excuse they use, medical malpractice should not go unchecked. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help.
How Do Doctor’s Miss the Diagnosis?
Doctors should listen carefully to your symptoms. Using the differential diagnosis tool, doctors should use test results and their experience to rule out the most life-threatening conditions. Ultimately, the doctor should come to a diagnosis. Doctors often miss the diagnosis. They ignore test results. They may not be told about test results. Common mistakes that lead to a missed diagnosis include:
- Failure to order tests
- Failure to act on a patient’s signs and symptoms
- Failure to check regularly for certain conditions in high-risk patients
- Failure to recognize symptoms
- Misdiagnosis
- Treating the wrong disease
- Not reading test results
- Giving too much medication without reading laboratory test results
Working with medical experts, Chelsie King Garza can help determine where the mistake was made. She will look for the signs or symptoms that were ignored. She will figure out what test result wasn’t reviewed. Doctors work to protect themselves. You should have someone on your side working to protect you.
Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney who Handles Missed Diagnosis Cases
If you or a loved one has been injured due to a doctor’s failure to diagnose your condition, Chelsie King Garza can help. Contact her to schedule your free initial consultation. Chelsie King Garza is an experienced medical malpractice attorney here to fight for you.
