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A misdiagnosis is a medical professional's failure to properly identify and diagnose a patient's medical condition. A doctor can be held liable for any damages that result from a misdiagnosis if the medical mistake was a result of negligence. Medical negligence (a subtype of medical malpractice) is defined as a medical professional's failure to exact the degree of care, skill, and prudence that a reasonable medical professional would in a similar situation.
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 which can lead to misdiagnosis.
There are several elements of misdiagnosis that may be involved in a patient's case, each of which can be considered medical malpractice depending on the situation. In some cases, misdiagnosis involves the wrong diagnosis completely. This means that the doctor diagnosed a patient with a condition that s/he did not have. This type of misdiagnosis can occur when a patient is actually suffering from another medical condition, or when the patient is not suffering from an ailment at all. This type of misdiagnosis is more common in the following medical specializations: infant, psychological/behavioral, and digestive medicine. Conditions whose symptoms are vague or rare conditions are also frequently involved in cases of misdiagnosis.
Sometimes misdiagnosis can involve a doctor's failure to identify the subtype of a patient's condition. This type of misdiagnosis is not always deleterious. For example, the correct diagnosis of a common cold's subtype is not necessary to its treatment or a patient's well being. In some cases, however, the correct diagnosis of a condition's subtype is crucial to correct treatment and overall patient well being. A misdiagnosis of the subtype of certain conditions, like diabetes and heart problems, may lead to serious patient injury.
Misdiagnosis may involve a medical professional's failure to identify the underlying cause of a patient's condition. Similarly, a misdiagnosis can involve the failure to diagnose an additional or related condition from which a patient is suffering. Correct diagnosis of an underlying condition is crucial when it is the cause of the diagnosed condition. When overlooked, the treatment of the diagnosed condition can be inappropriate or inadequate and a person's health can suffer because of this misdiagnosis.
Misdiagnosis may involve under- or over-diagnosed conditions. There are several reasons why certain conditions are frequently over or under diagnosed. Regardless of the reason behind misdiagnosis, when medical negligence is to blame for patient injuries, the victim has a legal right to seek compensation for their losses.
If you would like to learn more about misdiagnosis, you may wish to contact an attorney who can evaluate your case.
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