Patients trust doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to provide them with answers when health issues disrupt their lives. When those healthcare providers make mistakes, that misdiagnosis can have serious effects on a patient’s health. What should you know about the impact of these medical errors?
What is misdiagnosis?
When a healthcare provider does not meet the expected standards of care and causes harm to the patient as a result, these errors are a form of medical malpractice. Misdiagnosis is one form of malpractice that can take several forms:
- Failure to identify a medical condition
- Incorrectly diagnosing patients
- Taking too long to identify the issue
- Failing to recognize other conditions impacting the patient’s health
To make a claim for misdiagnosis, a patient must prove that the healthcare provider made a wrong diagnosis and that this mistake directly worsened their health.
How does misdiagnosis impact patients?
Patients who suffer from either misdiagnoses or missed diagnoses can experience severe deterioration in their health. Delayed diagnosis allows the real health problem goes untreated, making the patient’s condition deteriorate. They might also face new health problems from getting treatments that do not match their actual health issues.
Delaying the right treatment can cause permanent harm and sometimes even lead to death. In fact, recent estimates indicate that around 2.6 million patients each year suffer harm that could have been avoided with the correct diagnosis. 370,000 patients each year experience permanent disability or death.
How can you respond to misdiagnosis?
If misdiagnosis has harmed you or a loved one, you might be able to seek justice through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Working with an experienced medical malpractice attorney, gathering your medical records and getting opinions from medical experts can help support your case.
Misdiagnosis can have devastating effects on patients’ health and well-being. Understanding your rights and options can help you hold medical professionals accountable and prevent others from suffering the same challenges.