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How prevalent is misdiagnosis?

On Behalf of | Apr 1, 2021 | Medical Malpractice |

An average of 12 million adults are misdiagnosed each year in the U.S., which is 5% of adults. Blood infections and lung cancer are the most common types of conditions that are misdiagnosed by medical professionals in Virginia. These conditions are often followed by severe blood clots, encephalitis and heart attacks.

What is the scope of this problem?

On average, doctors have a 95% success rate in diagnosing patients. However, misdiagnoses do happen, and such a mistake can have drastic consequences. Some people even die due to the complications of getting misdiagnosed while in their doctor’s care.

A medical misdiagnosis includes when a doctor fails to interpret or conduct a test that causes a mistake in narrowing down the condition that the patient is suffering from. A medical professional may also fail to provide the patient with proper diagnostic medication, which can cause the doctor to misdiagnosis the patient if they respond in a different way to the medication. Physicians may also fail to understand the urgency of the injury or condition, which can lead to delays with the diagnosis and cause it to take longer than necessary to provide proper treatment to the patient.

How do you prove a misdiagnosis?

Patients may be able to prove they were misdiagnosed by providing evidence and documents showing that the doctor didn’t make the correct diagnosis for the injury or illness in time for effective treatment. They will have to show that a competent doctor could have made the correct diagnosis.

Proving a misdiagnosis also includes providing proof of a doctor-patient relationship. The proof might require showing errors in diagnostic tests.

Who can you contact for legal assistance?

If you were misdiagnosed by a doctor or specialist, contact a personal injury attorney who has experience handling similar cases. A legal professional may inform you of your rights and help you understand how to navigate the legal system. Your attorney may help you fight for the compensation you deserve to cover the costs of lost wages, medical bills and emotional trauma due to the doctor’s mistake.

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