The reason medical malpractice is an area of law is because even the best doctors can make mistakes. Although we may trust our physicians, they can occasionally miss an illness or condition, or fail to diagnose a serious disease. When these potentially fatal errors are made, patients may wonder if they have a medical malpractice case. In the event of a delayed diagnosis, the possibility of receiving damages may depend largely on the disease or illness’s progression.
Medical professionals may be held responsible for injury to a patient if a delayed diagnosis or a failure to diagnose resulted in a progression of the illness beyond what the patient would have experienced if diagnosed properly. This is not to say that a comparison should be made between the outcome of an immediately correct diagnosis and the actual events. After all, doctors are trained to treat patients based on the probability of a diagnosis until the correct diagnosis and treatment has been provided.
For a medical malpractice case to be made in the context of a delayed or wrong diagnosis, the question is raised of whether or not the treating physician diagnosed and treated a patient based on the same probability of diagnosis that other doctors would have. Essentially, medical malpractice calls for a physician to diagnose, treat or act any way that other reasonable physicians would not have.
Receiving a wrong, missed or delayed diagnosis can take a significant toll on an individual. Depending on the illness and its progression, a delayed diagnosis may cost them their life. Patients that have suffered illness or injury due to a wrong, missed or delayed diagnosis may wish to speak to an experienced attorney. With their help, negligent doctors may be held accountable and damages may be received.