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Medical professionals attend years of rigorous schooling before they are licensed to practice medicine. They learn about thousands of medical conditions and the signs and symptoms of those conditions so that they can properly diagnose patients. However, doctors cannot always provide an immediate diagnosis. If a doctor fails to provide a diagnosis or misdiagnoses a patient, is he or she guilty of medical negligence? Does the patient have a right to compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit? As with most personal injury matters, the answer depends on a variety of factors.
When we visit a doctor or medical specialist, we expect to receive answers. We need to know what condition is ailing us so that we can get the proper treatment. In many cases, the sooner a patient can start receiving treatment, the greater his or her chance of recovery. This is especially true of illnesses like cancer and heart disease. If a doctor does not diagnose a patient or diagnoses the patient with the wrong condition, that patient will not receive the potentially life-save medical care he or she needs.
A doctor or other medical worker is not automatically guilty of medical malpractice if he or she fails to diagnose a patient’s condition properly. Malpractice occurs when the following components are present:
If each of these elements is present, the doctor may be liable in a medical malpractice lawsuit. The patient or the patient’s surviving loved ones may be entitled to financial compensation for damages.
If you or a loved one were misdiagnosed or a doctor failed to diagnose your medical problem promptly, contact Mannarino & Brasfield, A Division of Schwartz Jambois, to discuss a potential medical malpractice claim. Call our team of skilled Winnebago County medical malpractice attorneys at 815-215-7561 today. We offer free initial consultations.
Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3088386/