Modern medicine has accomplished miracles in terms of treating – and even curing – diseases that once were fatal. However, successful treatment is dependent upon a rapid and accurate diagnosis. Every time you go to the hospital, you risk a medical misdiagnosis, and an incorrect diagnosis can delay critical treatments, worsen a disease or even cause death, especially in cases of cancer.There is a standard quality of care all doctors, nurses, surgeons and other medical professionals are supposed to adhere to. Sometimes, though, this standard is subverted, and the patient suffers. Medical misdiagnosis can involve a number of circumstances. In some cases, it involves a completely wrong diagnosis. A patient may have another condition that may or may not be related to the wrong diagnosis, or the patient may not be suffering from a medical condition at all. This type of medical misdiagnosis can be more likely in cases involving infant, behavioral/emotional, digestive, and rare conditions or those that are characterized by vague symptoms.
The National Patient Safety Foundation found that 42 percent of medical patients feel they have experienced a medical error or missed diagnosis. Patient safety is sometimes negligently given the back seat for other concerns, such as the cost of medical tests, drugs, and operations.
Misdiagnosis and delayed treatment of a medical condition can have debilitating effects on a patient. In some cases misdiagnosis can be fatal. Our experienced Illinois malpractice attorneys represent individuals and families when reasonable medical procedures are not followed and an accurate diagnosis is not made in a timely manner. We handle medical misdiagnosis cases involving:
If you believe that you or a loved one is a victim of a misdiagnosis, it is important to obtain legal counsel with experience in this complicated and specialized area of law.
In some cases, medical misdiagnosis can involve diagnosing a person with a condition that is related to the condition they actually have or diagnosing a person with a condition whose symptoms are actually side effects of a medication they are taking. Patients can help prevent medical misdiagnosis by seeking a second opinion, repeating lab and other medical tests, asking questions, and researching the condition and symptoms of the condition the patient has been diagnosed with.
When misdiagnosis is committed on behalf of a negligent medical professional, they can be held liable for any damages that a patient suffers. Negligence may be an element in medical misdiagnosis when a doctor fails to order necessary tests to help diagnose or rule out a medical condition, fails to properly address a patient's signs and symptoms, hastily offers a diagnosis without proper medical evaluation, and in similar cases of negligence that can lead to misdiagnosis.
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard has extensive experience combined with medical resources and highly regarded expert witnesses, providing our clients with the best possible legal representation for misdiagnosis cases in Illinois and Wisconsin. Please contact our office for a free, no obligation consultation, at (866) 997-2584.
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Misdiagnosis in the News
Mali: Combating Malaria MisdiagnosisAllAfrica.com, Washington - May 1, 2008Economic productivity is also affected, and misdiagnosis can deepen poverty due to prolonged illnesses and money being wasted on the wrong drugs. ... |
Cancer patient settles misdiagnosis claimNEWS.com.au, Australia - Apr 24, 2008But she asked that her story be publicised, so hospitals would be forced to be more accountable and other patients would not suffer through misdiagnosis. ... |
