If you or a loved one were injured due to a misdiagnosed disease, condition or illness, a medical malpractice lawyer or attorney may be able to help you recover money from a misdiagnosis malpractice lawsuit case or settlement claim.
A team of medical malpractice lawyers and personal injury attorneys is investigating potential lawsuit and settlement claims of individuals who have suffered serious personal injury or death as a result of a misdiagnosed disease, illness or medical condition.
A medical misdiagnosis (i.e., diagnostic error or diagnosis mistake) occurs when a medical professional fails to accurately and/or timely diagnose a patient’s illness, disease or health condition. Proper diagnosis of a medical condition is critical to ensuring that a patient has the best opportunity for treatment of the condition and a positive health outcome.
Unfortunately, according to a study published in Diagnosis (the Official Journal of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine) diagnostic errors cause substantial preventable harm in the United States, including an estimated tens of thousands to millions of cases of serious misdiagnosis-related harm, including deaths.
Misdiagnosis Malpractice Lawsuits Cases
Misdiagnosis lawsuit and settlement cases potentially being investigated include malpractice claims involving patients who were injured or died as a result of diagnosis-related errors and mistakes including:
- Misdiagnosis of medical conditions or disorders
- Incorrect or wrong diagnosis of disease
- Failure to diagnose disease or illness
- Delayed diagnosis of health problems
- Diagnostic errors
- Other medical malpractice lawsuit cases
Misdiagnosis malpractice cases can involve a wrong diagnosis (e.g., where a doctor diagnosed a patient with a medical condition that the patient did not have), a failure to diagnose (e.g., where a physician failed to diagnose a patient’s medical condition) or a delayed diagnosis (e.g., where a doctor took too long to diagnose a patient’s disease or illness).
Misdiagnosis Injury Claims
Misdiagnosis injury claims potentially being investigated include claims of patients who suffered serious injury or death after being misdiagnosed with disease, illness, conditions or disorders, including:
- Cancer misdiagnosis
- Breast cancer misdiagnosis
- Lung cancer misdiagnosis
- Colon cancer misdiagnosis
- Vascular injury misdiagnosis
- Heart attack misdiagnosis
- Myocardial infarction misdiagnosis
- Stroke misdiagnosis
- Pulmonary embolism misdiagnosis
- Infection misdiagnosis
- Other misdiagnosed illnesses or diseases
- Other misdiagnosis injury claims
Almost seventy-five percent of all serious misdiagnosis-related harm involves a misdiagnosis of cancer (such as a failure to diagnose breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer or other type of cancer), a misdiagnosis of vascular injury (such as a failure to diagnose a heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism, etc.) or a misdiagnosis of infection (such as a failure to diagnose sepsis, meningitis/encephalitis, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, abcess, pneumonia or endocarditis).
Negligence In Diagnosing Medical Conditions
The diagnostic process generally involves seven stages: (1) access to care and presentation of complaints, (2) history taking/collection, (3) physical exam, (4) testing, (5) assessment, (6) referral, and (7) follow-up. Neligence can occur at any stage in the diagnostic process when medical providers fail to conform to the appropriate standard of medical care.
Diagnosis-related negligence, mistake, carelessness, error, wrongdoing or malpractice of a doctor, physician, medical professional, hospital or other healthcare provider can include, for example:
- Mistakes in clinical judgment
- Failure or delay in obtaining patient/family history
- Failure or delay in obtaining adequate physical examination
- Failure or delay in ordering or performing a diagnostic test
- Ordering or performing wrong diagnostic test
- Mislabling or mishandling of test samples or results
- Failure to make a differential diagnosis
- Failure to appreciate or reconcile signs or symptoms of disease
- Failure to assess or evaluate symptoms
- Failure to appreciate or reconcile test results
- Failure to appreciate urgency of illness
- Failure or delay in recognizing complications of illness
- Failure or delay in following up on test results
- Failure to send or receive test results
- Misinterpretation of diagnostic studies
- Failure to interpret test results
- Failure or delay in obtaining consult or referral
- Mistakes in communication
- Failure or delay in following up with patient
- Failure to communicate patient’s condition
- Failure to review medical records
- Other diagnosis related negligence
Medical Negligence Of Doctors, Surgeons, Nurses, Hospitals & Other Healthcare Providers
Diagnosis-related medical malpractice can occur in a variety of medical care settings, including outpatient or ambulatory settings, hospital emergency department settings and inpatient settings.
The medical specialties that are most frequently involved in misdiagnosis related malpractice cases include, among others:
- General medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Medicine specialties
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Obstetrics/gynecology
- Orthopedics
- Pediatrics/neonatology
- Pathology
- General surgery
- Oral surgery/dentistry
- Neurosurgery
- Nursing
- Psychiatry
If you or a loved one were injured or died after being misdiagnosed with a disease, illness or condition, you may be entitled to compensation from a misdiagnosis malpractice lawsuit or settlement. Contact a medical malpractice attorney or lawyer to request a free case review.
*If you or a loved one are experiencing health issues, medical problems and/or medical malpractice injuries we urge you to promptly consult with a doctor or physician for an evaluation.
**The listing of a company or product is not meant to state or imply that the company acted illegally or improperly or that the product is unsafe or defective; rather only that an investigation may be, is or was being conducted to determine whether legal rights have been violated.
***The use of any trademarks, tradenames or service marks is solely for product identification and/or informational purposes.
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