There is nothing worse than going to a doctor, explaining your symptoms, and being informed that there’s nothing wrong with you. Not only is this frustrating because it means you’ll continue to suffer the side effects of your condition, but missed diagnoses can also lead to severe complications. These are different than misdiagnoses, which occur when you are diagnosed with the wrong illness. A missed diagnosis is the result of a doctor failing to determine the cause of a medical issue. If you’ve been a victim of this malpractice, it’s vital to seek the help of a Houston, Texas diagnosis error lawyer.
What Are the Most Frequently Missed Conditions?
Unfortunately, there are a number of conditions that are difficult to diagnose and thus are often ignored by healthcare providers due to the fact that they may not be as easily detectable.
One of the most common missed diagnoses is cancer. This is unfortunate as getting a diagnosis as early as possible is crucial to ensuring you can treat the disease in order to receive the best outcome and higher survival rates.
Other often missed conditions are heart attacks, blood clots, aneurysms, and infections. Like cancers, failure to diagnose these issues can have severe and often fatal ramifications.
How Do Missed Diagnoses Occur?
Unfortunately, many doctors rely too heavily on tests, which can lead to a test result indicating that you are fine, despite the presence of other symptoms and signs. Similarly, doctors may interpret test results incorrectly, which can have detrimental effects on the outcome of your health and well-being. They may also dismiss family history, medical history, and other concerns when talking with a patient.
Also, some healthcare professionals may not take patients seriously when complaining of pain. For example, many young people are not taken seriously due to the stigma that young adults, teenagers, and kids are generally healthy. This can lead to refusal to run tests or patients being told that the symptoms are all in their heads.
What to Do if You Are a Victim of a Failed Diagnosis
If a doctor is failing to run tests even if you’ve requested them, ask them to make a note in your chart that you have requested the test and that the doctor is denying it. You should also seek a second opinion from another doctor or specialist.
Once it’s confirmed that your doctor failed to diagnose a condition, you have options. Don’t ignore the issue because the doctor could harm other patients as well. You are also entitled to compensation in Texas for a missed diagnosis, which is considered medical malpractice.
It’s essential to retain the guidance of a competent medical malpractice lawyer in order to get the compensation you deserve. However, you should note that there is a cap on financial compensation a plaintiff can receive in medical malpractice suits in Texas, which is $250,000. Reach out to Davis & Davis today so we can review the details of your case.