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The potential damages caused by a delayed or wrong diagnosis

On Behalf of | Apr 2, 2020 | Medical Malpractice

Quite a few medical conditions are progressive, which means they actually get worse over time. The sooner someone identifies their symptoms and secures an accurate diagnosis from their physician, the more treatment options that may be available and the better their prognosis might be.

Unfortunately, even when you accurately report your symptoms to your doctor, you run the risk of them failing to diagnose you, which could increase your risk for a worse outcome, as well as the expenses involved in your treatment.

A wrong diagnosis could mean getting the wrong care

Certain medical conditions are more likely to go undiagnosed or get wrongly diagnosed than others. Conditions like endometriosis or kidney problems may wind up misdiagnosed as something else.

The results of such an inaccurate diagnosis could include receiving care or taking medication that won’t help. In some circumstances, the care or medication a physician recommends could actually have damaging consequences for the patient, particularly if it exacerbates the condition that has gone undiagnosed.

A delayed diagnosis reduces a patient’s options

Earlier diagnosis can often mean having more choices available regarding how you want to handle your medical condition. When you don’t receive a timely diagnosis, your condition could continue to worsen for some time, leaving you with permanent damage or few options other than extreme medical intervention like surgery.

Bringing a medical malpractice claim against a doctor who failed to diagnose or wrongly diagnosed a medical condition can help people cover the cost of the care that they need due to that oversight and other damages associated with that significant medical mistake, such as lost wages.

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