Although most are familiar with what a misdiagnosis is and how dangerous they can be to patients, fewer people understand what a failure to diagnose medical malpractice case is and how it can be harmful and even deadly.

What Is Considered A Failure To Diagnose?

When it comes to medical malpractice, many times it isn't what a doctor does wrong, but what they don't do at all. In fact, according to CureResearch.com, the failure to diagnose is the most common type of medical malpractice today.

Although a failure to diagnose does not sound as terrible as a botched surgery or a misdiagnosis, it can be just as devastating and just as deadly.

A misread x-ray. A misinterpretation of symptoms. A doctor who doesn't listen closely enough. These small moments that take place in offices and hospitals around the country can be the difference between catching a disease or condition early and suffering horribly.

Here are some situations that can have life-altering and even deadly results:

  • A woman with an aggressive brain tumor goes to the ER, only to be given a pamphlet on migraines.
  • A college co-ed goes to a doctor with a high fever and other severe symptoms. He sends her home with flu medication, even though she is carrying a dangerous strain of meningitis and is dead within the week.
  • A man with a strange and mounting number of symptoms is told that he is "simply getting old" even after multiple visits. He is not diagnosed with diabetes until he is already blind.
  • A man gets a mole removed, which his doctor says he will test for malignancy. However, the test never takes place and the man is never diagnosed with the skin cancer he is suffering from.
  • A young girl comes to the doctor with flu-like symptoms and a strange rash. The doctor ignores the rash and tells the girl and her parents that she just needs rest. By the time the girl is diagnosed with advanced lyme disease, her joints are ruined for life.
If you believe that you or someone you love was a victim of failure to diagnose medical malpractice, it is vital that you speak to a specialized legal representative immediately.

A doctor may not make mistakes in the operating room or in the exam room, but he may overlook important medical red flags that could save your life. Your doctor is there to keep you safe and to come to sound conclusions based on your symptoms. If this did not happen, it isn't "just a mistake," it means that your doctor didn't do his or her job. Because of it, you and your family will suffer - and lives could even be lost.


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