When most people feel sick, their first solution is usually to look for an over-the-counter remedy. When that does not work, many people turn to their doctors with the expectation that these physicians will be able to determine what is wrong with them and offer a cure or treatment plan.
But what happens if your doctor does not recognize your symptoms? Sometimes, a missed or delayed diagnosis can lead to serious health consequences. A Williamsville failure to diagnose lawyer can help you investigate your legal options when you sustain an injury or worsening of an illness due to negligence on behalf of a healthcare provider. Call our firm today to begin reviewing your case details with a skilled medical malpractice attorney.
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Consequences of a Failure to Diagnose an Injury or Illness
A failure to diagnose occurs when a physician gives a patient a delayed diagnosis, the wrong diagnosis, or no diagnosis. All of these scenarios can cause a patient to suffer needlessly. Some illnesses, like cancer, progress over time. If a patient receives a timely diagnosis, they can take advantage of early, potentially life-saving treatment options. When a doctor fails to diagnose a serious medical condition, they deprive their patient of this ability.
Delayed diagnoses can also cause an unnecessary prolonging of pain and injuries as well as the need for more invasive or costly additional treatments that would not have been needed otherwise. For example, if a radiologist fails to recognize a child’s broken arm on an X-ray, the child might experience significant pain. Without a cast to protect the arm, the break could get worse. Instead of healing within 6 to 8 weeks, like a typical broken wrist in a cast, that child might have to undergo painful surgery.
Our compassionate Williamsville attorneys understand the difficulties that diagnostic errors can cause and will work tirelessly to help injured patients and their families recover compensation for all they have lost.
Reasons Why Physicians Make Diagnostic Errors
When doctors fail to diagnose illnesses and injuries, there are often underlying reasons.
Rushed Working Environment
In many settings, doctors can only spend a limited amount of time with each patient. If they try to rush from one patient to the next, they might not take the time to listen to the patient’s symptoms or review their medical history thoroughly enough. In their haste to move on, they also might not order appropriate lab tests.
Miscommunications
Patients sometimes see more than one provider. In addition to their primary care doctor, they often see specialists, nurses, physicians’ assistants, and other medical workers. If those healthcare providers fail to communicate with each other, errors can occur. Medical workers must notify other physicians working with patients about changes in condition and other relevant information.
Personal Biases
Sometimes, doctors go with their guts instead of making objective decisions. Instead of relying on laboratory tests or other critical information, they might make a diagnosis based on what they think it should be. For instance, a female patient’s heart attack symptoms often differ from a male patient’s, and a doctor might fail to recognize them because of their gender bias.
Inexperience
Some errors occur because of inexperience. Newly licensed physicians might not recognize the symptoms that a more seasoned doctor would. Hospitals and healthcare offices should have oversight and supervision to ensure that inexperience does not lead to diagnostic errors.
In addition to investigating how the misdiagnosis occurred and why, a dedicated Williamsville attorney can look into what other individuals may be responsible for the error, including the hospital administrator, technicians, and equipment manufacturers.
Work With a Williamsville Failure to Diagnose Attorney
A delayed or missed diagnosis can significantly alter your well-being. If you suspect your healthcare provider failed to accurately diagnose your medical condition, you might have grounds to pursue damages. However, simply being unsatisfied with the result of your medical care does not always constitute grounds for medical negligence.
There are many other factors that should be considered, and certain requirements that must be met to file suit and to have a favorable case outcome. Working with a Williamsville failure to diagnose lawyer is the best way to determine your legal options in a particular circumstance.
With over 25 years of combined personal injury experience, our co-founding attorneys, John E. Richmond and Keith R. Vona, have helped injury victims and their family members recover more than $150 million in financial relief.
John E. Richmond
Co-Founding Member
As one of New York’s top personal injury attorneys, John E. Richmond understands that clients come first. With over a decade of experience representing plaintiffs, he knows how to hold negligent corporations and big insurance companies liable.
In his nearly 15 years in practice, Keith has been consistently recognized for his client service and record of results. He has been selected for inclusion in the New York Super Lawyers® Rising Stars list four times (2013 to 2016), an honor reserved for the top up-and-coming attorneys.
