Misdiagnosis: The Lesser-Known Side of Medical Malpractice
What typically comes to mind of the average person when you discuss medical malpractice are incidents where a healthcare provider commits some sort of obvious misconduct that causes injury or harm to their patient. You hear about cases involved botched surgeries, improper prescriptions, and negligent behavior on the part of a physician, but there is an area of medical malpractice that is often overlooked: misdiagnosis. Misdiagnosis has gained attention as a serious issue in hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide, and it is important to know whether or not a misdiagnosis of yourself or your loved one might leave you eligible to file a medical malpractice claim.
What is Misdiagnosis?
While human error is inevitable in some situations, the error of a physician or other healthcare provider when it comes to the diagnosis of their patient can prove fatal. Misdiagnosis did not receive an official definition until 2005, when Dr. Mark Graber of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine deemed it “a diagnosis that is missed, wrong, or delayed, as detected by some subsequent definitive test or finding.” As such, a misdiagnosis can occur in a number of different situations when a correct diagnosis was actually possible. Often, misdiagnoses could have been corrected had additional testing been ordered by a physician, but that testing is either never done or only done after symptoms worsen and result in even greater health risks.
Identifying a Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnoses are all-too often only identified during an autopsy, though in the case of delayed diagnoses a patient may still be able to receive the care that will treat their condition. Dr. Graber was quoted as saying that misdiagnoses can be seen in cases of similar kinds of diseases and conditions, especially cancer and heart disease. As these are serious medical conditions, it is important that a misdiagnosed patient gets the care and compensation that they deserve, with help from the experience attorneys at Jenkins Block & Associates.
Do you believe that misdiagnosis has been the cause of health issues or even death to a family member or loved one? Call on Jenkins Block & Associates today for more information regarding your medical malpractice claim.
We have four offices across Maryland and Virginia with trained legal professionals ready to assist you. Please CALL US at 1-800-243-2439 to be directed to the closest Jenkins Block & Associates location to you.
Source:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/GeneralProfessionalIssues/47232