Misdiagnosis
Bellevue Wrong Diagnosis Lawyer
Legal Assistance for People Who are Injured Due to Wrong Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis Medical Malpractice
If you or a loved one has received a wrong diagnosis or a misdiagnosis and has been harmed as a result, you may be seeking answers to your legal questions. The Farber Law Group, a Washington medical malpractice law firm, has more than 45 years of experience representing people with their medical malpractice claims.
Diagnosing a patient is one of the most difficult aspects of any physician's job. Sometimes several illnesses will have similar symptoms and a physician must know when to do further testing.
Many factors go into diagnosing any patient's conditions. A diagnosis can be based on a patient's medical history, symptoms, observation, and medical tests such as blood tests, urine tests, X-rays, MRIs, or Cat Scans. In the case of a misdiagnosis or wrong diagnosis, the diagnostician did not recognize the patient's actual condition. This can result in the patient not receiving the correct treatment, receiving a harmful treatment, or not being prescribed a treatment
How a Misdiagnosis Can Cause Harm
When a diagnostician, whether it be a family physician, psychiatrist, physical therapist, chiropractor, dentist, nurse practitioner, or radiologist, incorrectly diagnoses a patient, it can lead to incorrect treatment or no treatment at all. Sometimes the patient is harmed by the treatment or by non-treatment, and sometimes the missed diagnosis or wrong diagnosis can be fatal.
The following are some possible scenarios after a wrong diagnosis:
Incorrect treatment
Delayed treatment
Delayed recovery
Unnecessary surgery
Examples of Misdiagnosis Cases
A patient in her 20's received treatment for cancer she did not have because of false readings of a blood test by a lab. This patient endured surgery and chemotherapy as a result.
A patient was diagnosed with gallstones but had an acute appendicitis attack and did not receive the emergency surgery she needed.
A patient became paralyzed after an auto accident because the Emergency Room doctor failed to order an x-ray that would have diagnosed the patient's fractured spine. The doctor instead sent the patient home with a prescription for muscle relaxants
A patient was diagnosed with a muscle strain instead of a heart attack.
An infant was given a medication not prescribed by a physician.
A patient was not diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer and died from a raging infection while in jail.
A small child suffered irreversible brain damage after physicians at a hospital failed to diagnose meningitis.
A woman lost her leg after physicians failed to diagnose a lack of pulse in her foot.
A patient with MRSA lost his limbs after physicians failed to diagnose and treat MRSA infection.
Is Every Case of Misdiagnosis or Wrong Diagnosis Malpractice?
Not every case of misdiagnosis or wrong diagnosis is grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. Doctors are not expected to diagnose every medical condition from the onset, especially if the patient is asymptomatic at the time. If you or a loved one has not suffered an injury or harm due to the misdiagnosis, then you have no basis for a medical malpractice claim. However a misdiagnosis or a wrong diagnosis may be grounds for a negligence lawsuit if the health care provider failed to follow standard procedures or failed to exercise that degree of care, skill, and learning expected of a reasonably prudent health care provider in a similar circumstance would provide resulting in serious injury or death to the patient.
Contact a Seattle Wrong or Misdiagnosis Malpractice Attorney
The Farber Law Group understands that being harmed by a wrong diagnosis or having a loved one die after a misdiagnosis is emotionally and physically very difficult. At The Farber Law Group, we will work with you to determine the best course of action in handling your medical malpractice claim.
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(425) 455-9087
Your Case is Important to Us - Free Consultation
Herb Farber and the attorneys in the network of The Farber Law Group provide a free case consultation to people seriously injured in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. If your injuries are serious and you cannot come to see us, we can arrange to visit you at Harborview Medical Center, Overlake Hospital Emergency & Trauma Center, Evergreen Hospital, or one of the other trauma centers throughout the state. We have represented injured victims for more than 45 years and we believe every injured person should have access to legal advice. For your Free and Confidential consultation, contact us today at (800) 244-9087.