When you go to the doctor, you assume you’ll get the medical care you need. The beginning of this process is getting an accurate diagnosis of your medical condition. Without knowing what problem you have, it will be impossible to get effective treatment, appropriate medication and support during your healing process.
You trust the doctors and care providers you see, but what happens when they make a mistake? Misdiagnosis is an issue that can cause problems for patients, leading to a worsening of a medical condition, prolonged suffering and other complications. Misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis is a type of medical malpractice, and it could be grounds for a civil claim against the care provider. If you think you have a case, you may want to seek help regarding your legal options.
Getting the right diagnosis
It’s critical to get the right diagnosis of your medical problems as soon as possible. Both misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis are serious problems, and they can have a detrimental impact on your health. The differences between these things are as follows:
- Misdiagnosis – This happens when a doctor gives you the wrong diagnosis of your medical condition. You may not get the right medication, or the treatment you receive may actually make your medical condition worse.
- Missed diagnosis – This happens when a patient does not get a diagnosis at all. This can occur when a doctor does not do the right tests or listen to the concerns of the patient.
In most cases, a missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis is preventable. Doctors have an obligation to listen to their patients, address their concerns, run the right tests and make sure they’ve given care that meets a certain standard. When they fail to do this, it often results in patient harm. You do not have to suffer the effects of this type of medical malpractice alone.
What should you do?
If you think you are a victim of medical malpractice, you have the right to speak out about your concerns. Through a civil claim, you can pursue compensation for your pain and suffering as well as other losses you experienced.
The options for legal recourse available to you depend on the details of your case. If you think you should move forward with a claim, you may want to seek an assessment of your case from a Georgia legal professional experienced in medical malpractice cases.
