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Failure to Diagnose

Failure to Diagnose

The correct diagnosis of a medical condition is the most important step toward treatment. Yet experts estimate that doctors fail to correctly diagnose up to 20 percent of fatal illnesses. Failure to diagnose is the legal term for what happens when a doctor or other healthcare professional misses key symptoms and does not make a proper diagnosis of a patient’s medical condition.

The failure to order tests, report results to patients, and follow up after abnormal test findings are leading causes of diagnostic errors, according to a survey of U.S. primary care and specialist physicians.

A doctor’s failure to diagnose can be caused by multiple factors, including:

  • Failure to consider the patient’s full medical history;
  • Failure to conduct a physical exam;
  • Failure to listen to the patient’s complaint;
  • Failure to order a diagnostic test;
  • Misinterpretation of test results;
  • Failure to follow up with the patient or provide clear directions for further treatment or care;
  • Failure to communicate effectively with another doctor involved in the treatment;
  • Error in judgment, faulty memory or lack of medical knowledge.

While no profession is without error, doctors and other healthcare providers have a special responsibility to take the utmost care to prevent mistakes, because the failure to diagnose an illness or injury can have extreme consequences. When a doctor does not pay enough attention to the patient’s symptoms or fails to take proper steps in the diagnostic process, patients suffer.

  • Conditions including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, heart attack and appendicitis are treatable at early stages. When a medical provider fails to diagnose these illnesses in a timely manner, the condition is allowed to progress past the treatable phase and the patient may die as a result.
  • Injuries that aren’t properly diagnosed may cause unnecessary suffering when a doctor doesn’t take appropriate steps, such as ordering an X-ray or other tests that can accurately assess the extent of the damage. Broken bones and other serious injuries can be extremely painful, but if they are mistaken for sprains or other conditions, the patient does not receive adequate care to relieve his or her symptoms. Not only does this failure result in prolonged pain, but a delay in treatment may impact the patient’s ability to heal.
  • Labor and delivery should be routine procedures in any hospital, but mother and baby must be adequately monitored to check for signs of distress. Both doctors and nurses know that even the most normal birth can quickly turn into a more urgent situation – and with correct monitoring, crises can be anticipated and quickly handled safely. When mother or baby is not properly monitored, these emergencies are allowed to worsen, and sometimes the damage caused is irreversible. A mother’s blood pressure can skyrocket, leading to stroke, or a baby’s distress can lead to oxygen deprivation and serious birth defects.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a healthcare professional’s failure to diagnose, a medical malpractice attorney with experience in failure to diagnose claims can help evaluate the circumstances of your injury or illness and determine whether you have a case. Your lawyer should work with accredited medical experts to evaluate whether healthcare standards were met and provide you with qualified opinions on any long-term health issues. Finally, your attorney should prepare an effective case strategy designed to meet the needs of you and your family.

For 27 years, the medical malpractice attorneys at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. have represented malpractice victims in legal claims across Illinois, including but not limited to Chicago, Lake County, Cook County, Aurora, Rockford, Naperville, Joliet, Springfield, North Peoria, Peoria, Elgin, Waukegan, DuPage County, Will County, Kane County, Winnebago County, McHenry County, Madison County, and St. Clair County.

Our staff includes both legal and medical professionals who understand the emotional, physical and financial turmoil that medical malpractice causes – and we remain committed to helping our clients rebuild their lives. If you have additional questions or need help with a medical malpractice case, please contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for a free, no-obligation consultation at 877.420.1269. Please keep in mind that there are strict deadlines for filing medical malpractice actions. The statute of limitations may be running on your claim, so time is of the essence.