For many diseases and conditions, timing is everything. The quicker the medical problem is discovered, the greater your chance for a cure. However, when a condition is not diagnosed in time, a patient’s condition can go from curable to incurable. Here are some important things you need to know if your doctor failed to diagnose your condition in time.
When is the Failure to Diagnose a Condition Medical Malpractice?
Doctors have an obligation to provide services in accordance with accepted standards of medical care. This obligation includes the obligation to diagnose and treat dangerous medical conditions in a timely manner because so many conditions can be effectively treated when diagnosed early. When there is a delay, however, a patient can lose the opportunity for a cure.
A failure to diagnose a condition can be caused for many reasons, including when a doctor:
- Fails to order important testing, although the testing should have been ordered;
- Does not perform a complete physical examination – and misses, for example, signs of skin or breast cancer;
- Fails to review test results that were performed;
- Does not listen and document the patient’s complaints, which could have triggered important testing or a referral to a specialist;
- Ignores a dangerous family history which should have prompted additional testing.
To prove a failure to diagnose medical malpractice case, you must show that your doctor failed to appreciate that your physical examination, complaints, or testing results were were consistent with a medical problem. You must also show that the delay made your condition worse. Certain diseases and conditions may have obvious signs which require a certain protocol. Here are some examples of some common cases in this area of the law:
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If you have any questions about a failure to diagnose medical malpractice case, you can contact our experienced medical malpractice attorneys by calling (800) 762-9300 or sending an email for more information. You can also simply fill out one of our case intake forms and we will have one of our attorneys get right back to you.
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