Medical Misdiagnosis Costs Lives

Medical misdiagnosis simply refers to an incorrect diagnosis. Although most medical professionals do their best to provide their patients with the highest level of care, even the best doctors make mistakes. Unfortunately medical misdiagnosis costs thousands of patients their lives each and every year. According to a 2007 report made by the American Medical Association, stated that the twenty percent rate of misdiagnosis in deceased patients had not changed since the 1930’s. Although doctors receive the highest standard of education in their field, the practice of medicine is not infallible.

Medical misdiagnosis or medical malpractice is a serious offense in the field of medicine. Doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, dentists, orthodontists, chiropractors and other medical professionals are expected to provide a standard level of care to their patients. When they breach this duty, and as a result cause a preventable injury or death to their patient, then the patient or their surviving family members may have legal cause for a medical malpractice lawsuit. If you or a loved one has suffered from a medical misdiagnosis, contact a Lubbock personal injury attorney without delay!

When a medical practitioner misdiagnoses a patient, it can lead to permanent injury or death. People should not have to fear their physician, surgeon, dentist or nurse. Common diseases that are frequently misdiagnosed are: breast cancer, tuberculosis, lung cancer, diabetes, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, heart attack, strokes, pulmonary embolism, ketosis, bacterial meningitis, CREST syndrome, and appendicitis.

How Does Misdiagnosis Happen?

There are several ways a doctor can misdiagnose a patient’s symptoms. A doctor typically misdiagnosis a patient’s symptoms when they either fail to perform necessary tests, fail to order additional tests, or misread a test altogether. Other times, a doctor’s ego might get in the way. They may feel confident that the patient’s symptoms are related to a particular illness or ailment, and fail to look further into the patient’s complaints by ordering additional tests or referring the patient to a specialist.

Claiming Damages for Medical Misdiagnosis

When a patient suffers undue harm to due medical misdiagnosis, he may have the legal right to bring a medical malpractice claim against the physician or hospital. This claim would be submitted to his medical malpractice insurance provider. If the doctor’s misdiagnoses led to the untimely death of a patient, then the patient’s surviving family members may qualify for damages under a wrongful death lawsuit. If you or someone you love has suffered harm or death due to a medical misdiagnosis, contact a Lubbock medical malpractice attorney from Wolfe & Associates today!

Contact a Lubbock medical malpractice lawyer from our firm for a free initial consultation.