Medical Malpractice: Misdiagnosis and Failed Diagnosis
Two of the most common examples of medical negligence are misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose a disease or adverse health condition. When doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals fail to take adequate steps to accurately diagnose a disease or health condition, people suffer serious and sometimes fatal injuries.
There are specific steps that should be taken and specific tests which should be performed when doctors and other medical professionals see that a patient is exhibiting certain symptoms. If a patient has signs of kidney disease, for example, it may be necessary to conduct a blood test or kidney biopsy in addition to a routine urine test. Where a patient exhibits symptoms of cancer, additional testing may be required to determine if a patient has cancer.
Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnose can occur with any condition, but some of the conditions where detection and diagnosis are frequently a problem include lung cancer, breast cancer, kidney disease, skin cancer, pneumonia, colon cancer and prostate cancer. We handle these and other medical malpractice cases involving serious injuries to a patient.
Proving Your Case - Causation
To establish a case for medical malpractice, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant had a duty to the plaintiff, that the defendant failed to meet the standard of care owed to the plaintiff, that the mistake actually caused the plaintiff's injury and that the negligence involved harmed the plaintiff. Proof of causation can be a difficult issue in any medical malpractice case, including a case of misdiagnosis.
Injuries involved in medical malpractice case typically require specific medical training to understand, and the normal plaintiff may not know the cause of such injuries. In a misdiagnosis case, for example, it is critical to understand what diagnostic tests a doctor should perform when specific symptoms are present. Anyone who has been hurt as a result of medical malpractice should contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can evaluate their case and work with experts to prove causation.
Contact the Bell Law Group
To speak with one of our medical malpractice lawyers about a misdiagnosis claim, contact our law office in Georgetown, South Carolina.
