According to a recent study, several fatal conditions have been revealed as repeat offenders of misdiagnosis. Experts and studies have shown over time that five diseases and conditions are repetitively misdiagnosed as other, less serious conditions – and sometimes with fatal consequences. Take, for example, the case of celebrity actor John Ritter. Ritter's wife alleged that he was seen in a California hospital prior to his death, where he was misdiagnosed and released; he had the terminal condition, aortic dissection.

Aortic dissection, one of the conditions that is too frequently misdiagnosed by medical professionals, is a disease that causes a patient to feel a tearing sensation in his or her chest. Unfortunately, it is a disease that sometimes displays symptoms that point to other medical conditions, such as heartburn. A doctor or patient who suspects that the sensation is more than just a common heartburn, further testing should be done to prevent medical misdiagnosis.

Another terminal illness that is misdiagnosed in men and women across the world is cancer. In a medical malpractice study by Harvard, cancer was named the most commonly diagnosed illness. Some of the most common forms of cancer misdiagnosis include breast cancer and colorectal cancer. Many professionals who have studied this area blame the doctors for failing to stay along the guidelines of cancer screening. Infection was named on the Harvard study as the second most common misdiagnosed condition.

Clogged arteries are also listed on the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions. Medical professionals attribute this misdiagnosis to doctors failing to run additional tests. Unfortunately, many of these patients are being told that they are short of breath because they are out of shape, when the truth is that they have coronary artery disease. As a surprise to many, heart attacks made the list of commonly misdiagnosed conditions in men and women as well. For a person who has never had or witnessed a heart attack, he or she may be surprised to find out that the stereotypical reactions as seen in TV and films (such as clenching of the chest and falling limp to the floor) are not always the indicators of heart attack. In fact, some heart attack patients just report fullness or tightening of the chest, nausea, and a sense of unwell.

There are, however, strategies that you can take advantage of to prevent yourself or others from being the victim of medical malpractice by a doctor, nurse, or hospital facility. First and foremost, it is important that you request more tests to be done. If you believe that you may have a serious medical condition that can possibly affect your life drastically, it is your duty to demand more tests from your doctor until an explanation for your symptoms is given.

Be sure to ask questions when you go to the doctor. If you are visiting the doctor for symptoms, you can write down any specific questions you may have regarding the possible condition. Questions can include the following:

• What do these symptoms mean?
• What else can this illness be?
• What types of remedies are available?

You will want to ensure that your doctor takes into consideration all medical conditions before making a final decision prematurely. Another thing that should always be done to prevent or reduce the chance of misdiagnosis is to call your doctor for a follow up. Many doctors say, "I will call you if something is wrong with the test results." While a doctor may have the best intentions with this statement, they are human – the doctor may forget to call or have the incorrect number on file and no way to reach you. Being proactive in your health is a surefire way to reduce your chances of misdiagnosis.

Lastly, you should keep detailed information about your own medical records. You cannot assume that the doctor you visited in the emergency room shared the results of your test with your regular practitioner. Doctors that work in emergency rooms or that work in shifts do not always pass on information from one doctor to the next, resulting in a void of information regarding patients and the potential life-threating condition they may have developed.

If you believe you have been the victim of medical malpractice, it is important to get the legal help that you deserve. While medical malpractice is not entirely common in the world today, it still occurs and has catastrophic results for a patient suffering from an unknown condition. Speak to a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible to find out how you can seek financial compensation for a doctor's failure to diagnose your illness.