Getting the right treatment at the right time largely depends on a physician’s ability to accurately diagnose a condition. If the professional makes a mistake, the patient might not receive prompt or effective treatment, which could worsen their health. These circumstances are sometimes grounds for a medical malpractice case. If you think a doctor failed to properly care for you or a loved one, here’s what you should know about the issue.

What Are Diagnostic Errors?

There are several types of errors a health care provider can make when diagnosing a patient. If they should’ve tested for and diagnosed a disease earlier, the issue is known as a delayed diagnosis. This often happens in cancer cases. A wrong diagnosis occurs when a physician gives the patient the wrong diagnosis. For instance, they might categorize a heart condition as a simple acid reflux due to heartburn symptoms. Lastly, a missed diagnosis happens when a doctor fails to accurately identify any diseases despite persistent complaints of symptoms.

Around 10 to 15% of medical cases include diagnostic errors. When these mistakes harm the patient, the health care provider could be held liable for medical malpractice. With that being said, the court must also find that the provider violated the expected standard of care. Part of medical malpractice law, the standard of care outlines acceptable treatments and testing a prudent professional would have conducted when faced with the same patient.

What Causes Diagnostic Errors?

In most cases, mistakes result from issues with the appointment. For example, language barriers and other communication challenges could prevent a doctor from getting all of the information they need to make an accurate diagnosis. It’s a doctor’s responsibility to gather the full scope of a patient’s medical information, including their present symptoms and past health history.

Referral problems can also cause errors. If a doctor refers a patient to the wrong type of specialist or doesn’t request the right medical records, the patient may receive the wrong information. Insufficient followup or tracking of symptoms are other common culprits.

If you believe you’ve experienced a diagnostic error, contact Henry & Williams P.C. Serving West Plains, MO, these attorneys have served local clients for over 60 years and are experienced in medical malpractice cases. They don’t charge fees unless they help you recover funds. Find out more about their approach on their website, or call (417) 256-8133 to set up a consultation.