Is a Missed Diagnosis Considered Medical Malpractice?

Often, you can be so aware of specific body responses that it seems you know what is ailing you already, but you know it is still best to get a professional diagnosis. You are usually able to trust a diagnosis from a medical practitioner.

Unfortunately, a missed diagnosis is always a possibility.

When this happens, you should seek counsel from healthcare officials for proper checkups and diagnoses to make sure you are treating everything the correct way.

Diagnosis, by definition, is the identification of a disease or condition from its signs and symptoms. Examinations, tests, and history all make up a diagnosis. A missed diagnosis means improper conduction of all the aspects required for a concrete diagnosis. The term also refers to failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis of a patient.

An example of missed diagnosis is a wrong drug prescribed to an unwary patient, leading to complications. These complications will need more time and money to solve. Sometimes it might even need a more severe intervention such as surgery.

A missed diagnosis can occur at different stages of medical consultation. But is a missed diagnosis considered medical malpractice? Selingo Guagliardo explores this issue so you can determine whether you can seek compensation.

Consequences of Missed Diagnosis

A misdiagnosis can create a cascade of problems. It is potentially liable to have a ripple effect on all areas of the patient’s wellbeing. The patient is likely to experience confusion and unsettledness because they do not know the actual issue and the proper medication. This is especially so when their recovery is delayed significantly.

An example of a missed diagnosis is having a wrong drug prescribed to a patient, leading to complications. These complications will need more time and money to solve, or even a more severe correction such as surgery.

A missed diagnosis can cause unpleasant side effects, either from the wrong drugs reacting with the body or from mismatched disease and treatments. In more extreme circumstances, a missed diagnosis can require a second treatment phase.

In the worst case scenario, a missed diagnosis could cost a patient their life. This possibility becomes even more real when the proper medical history of the patient is not available. Fatal cases can occur in relation to allergies, reactions, and body size.

Medical Malpractice

There is a reasonable level of care expected from every person that is handling and involved in your care. Doctors, nurses, and other personnel involved in healthcare need to show appropriate due diligence in performing their tasks and functions.

Any form of dereliction of duty is serious because the line of work is tied to human life and cannot be trivialized. It goes without saying that medical practitioners cannot afford to take liberties with their job in any aspect.

The law usually treats medical malpractice as a severe issue. The assumption is that healthcare workers were not diligent enough and cause slip-ups that affect their patient’s quality of life or lead to death.

An example of negligence malpractice is when a nurse does not sterilize the needles properly before injecting their patient, leading to infections that weren’t previously ailing them. When a laboratory technologist mixes up test samples and results, you can also say that he or she was negligent.

Is a Missed Diagnosis Considered Medical Malpractice?

In short, yes. As already explained, misdiagnosis is quite grievous, according to the law. The clincher is usually having to prove that there was no foul play or negligence that led to the misdiagnosis of a patient. If the practitioner can show even some evidence that the diagnosis was not a result of negligence, they might be off the hook in the long run.

Furthermore, the extent to which the malpractice goes is dependent on the level of negligence and the effect the act has on the patient. Another factor that might affect a judgment is how diligent or negligent the medical practitioner usually is.

Selingo Guagliardo Can Win You Compensation for Medical Malpractice

In moments like this, you need someone to speak up for you, and that’s who we are at Selingo Guagliardo. In cases of medical malpractice, we have your back.

If you need a medical malpractice lawyer in Kingston, PA, to ensure you get the compensation you need to recover and go forward, don’t hesitate to call us. We are ready and willing to lend a hand.