The Dangers of Failing to Diagnose

After running a series of tests and observing symptoms, healthcare providers make a diagnosis. Diagnosis is vital to treating patients, as it reveals an individual's ailments. After knowing what an individual is suffering from, medical professionals can determine which available treatment options are most suitable for the individual's condition.

Without a diagnosis, treatment usually is not an option. Treatments have many inherent dangers, so it is important for healthcare providers to be sure of a patient's ailment before treating him or her. Unfortunately, many medical professionals fail to diagnose their patients, putting them at risk for serious injuries, advancement of their illnesses, or even death.

Failure to diagnose may occur for a number of reasons. Most often, these reasons include:

• The patient has a rare disease that the doctor mistakes for a common condition
• Doctors order the wrong tests on a patient
• The patient suffers from multiple ailments
• The patient's symptoms are subtle

In any case, it is the healthcare provider's duty to diagnose his or her patients. Though many undiagnosed ailments do not cause patients further harm, some do. When a patient suffers further harm because his or her doctor failed to diagnose him or her, the patient may be entitled to financial compensation for his or her injuries.

Failure to diagnose is a form of misdiagnosis, meaning that it is a form of medical malpractice. As such, patients have rights under medical malpractice laws if they can prove that malpractice actually occurred. Proving such a claim requires the legal assistance of an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.

About this Author

If you or someone you love suffered injuries because a doctor failed to diagnose an illness, the Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. will fight to hold your doctor accountable for his or her negligence.

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